Dance Festival

A whole lotta dancing goes on this weekend at the 25th annual State Dance Festival, sponsored by the Maryland Council for Dance, at Roland Park Country School.The marathon event for dancers of all ages and degrees of experience includes 52 master classes in jazz, ballet, modern dance, tap, theater dance, African dance, ballroom dance, stretch, pointe work, improvisation and character dance (folk dance). The festival also will include workshops on nutrition and prevention of dance injuries, led by physical therapist Bonnie Schulman.

College dance concerts are always a fun place for brushing up on modern currents in the art, but spring semester programs are often a pure delight. They represent the culmination of eight months' work for student dancers who relish the opportunity to show off what they've learned. The Arts Collective Dance Company at Howard Community College will showcase their many talented dancers in four concerts at HCC's Smith Theatre Thursday-Sunday, March 1-4. "This is our sixth season and the best program so far," said Renee Brozic Barger, the director of the Arts Collective Dance Company.

THE THIRD annual Howard County Dance Festival will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Mount Hebron High School.rTC Performance chairwoman Dina Ward and her committee of dance teachers arranged the festival, in which elementary, middle and high school students will perform dances or musical skits.Stevens Forest Elementary will present "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Old Chisholm Trail."The songs are from the musical "How The West Was Really Won" which will be performed March 13 and 14 at Oakland Mills High School.

Arbutus resident Rosemary Prendergast was among the 21 Baltimore County public high school students chosen to the 2011-2012 All-County Honors Dance Ensemble. The students were chosen through a highly competitive application and audition process. They represent six of the seven county high schools with a fine arts dance program. Prendergast was one of 11 students chosen who attend Carver Center for Arts and Technology, a county magnet school in Towson. Dulaney, Hereford, New Town, Parkville and Patapsco high schools were also represented on the team.

College dance concerts are always a fun place for brushing up on modern currents in the art, but spring semester programs are often a pure delight. They represent the culmination of eight months' work for student dancers who relish the opportunity to show off what they've learned. The Arts Collective Dance Company at Howard Community College will showcase their many talented dancers in four concerts at HCC's Smith Theatre Thursday-Sunday, March 1-4. "This is our sixth season and the best program so far," said Renee Brozic Barger, the director of the Arts Collective Dance Company.

International dance -- Kinetics Dance Theatre will hold an International Dance Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 at 3280 Pine Orchard Lane, Ellicott City. Klezazz, a Baltimore klezmer band, will be featured. Workshops, open to everyone, include Latin and traditional ballroom dancing from noon to 1 p.m.; Israeli folk dancing (music by Klezazz) from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; belly dancing from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (hula dancing will be provided for younger children); Irish step dancing from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and African dance from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Activities for children are to include crafts, face painting, an obstacle course and balloons.

Dance festival begins July 11 in Westminster The Westminster Ballet Theatre will hold its first Westminster International Dance Festival from July 11 to Aug. 12 at State of the Arts Dance Studio, 90 Aileron Court, Suite 3. The goal is to gather dancers, teachers, theater production specialists and art enthusiasts from all over the world to share, discover, learn and perform in the county. The festival will allow the dancers world-class training, uniting a diverse global community of choreographers, performers, teachers and students in five weeks of intense study, exploration and exchange.

African dancingFeel the beat of Africa and other cultures this weekend. Dancer and storyteller Maria Broom performs a one-woman show of song and dance in the multicultural program "The Gypsy Dance Bringer" at Enoch Pratt Free Library Saturday.On Sunday, Broom plays the role of hostess as young dance talent graces the stage of Dunbar High School. The Eubie Blake Cultural Center sponsors the third annual African-American Dance Festival, with student dance groups from all over the city offering their finest routines.

Crab and clam bake Pack your mallet and head on down to Crisfield on the Eastern Shore Wednesday to crack some steamed crustaceans at the 25th annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. Once you have tired of picking crabs, load up on fried clams, fresh fried fish and corn-on-the-cob or head to the raw bar at the all-you-can-eat event that's named for a native son who was Maryland's governor from 1958 until 1966. Sponsored by the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual event attracts politicians and seafood lovers from around the state -- about 5,000 each year.

Members of Surge Dance Company began offering instruction last spring at Harbor Arts Center in Federal Hill and will expand its program this season.Classes for children and adults at all levels of experience are now being offered in swing, ballroom, jazz, ballet and modern dance, as well as theater and singing, Tuesdays and Thursdays through May 15. The teachers are Ruth Skrzesz, a singer and actress, and dancer Stephanie Thibeault.Harbor Arts Center is in Olive Branch United Methodist Church, Fort Avenue and South Charles Street.

International dance -- Kinetics Dance Theatre will hold an International Dance Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 at 3280 Pine Orchard Lane, Ellicott City. Klezazz, a Baltimore klezmer band, will be featured. Workshops, open to everyone, include Latin and traditional ballroom dancing from noon to 1 p.m.; Israeli folk dancing (music by Klezazz) from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; belly dancing from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (hula dancing will be provided for younger children); Irish step dancing from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and African dance from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Activities for children are to include crafts, face painting, an obstacle course and balloons.

Severna Park High School has let out for the day, and about 10 girls are in the school's dance studio, kicking and twirling in unison as "Santa Baby" booms through the small room. They are rehearsing for a school concert scheduled for Thursday. Senior Lindsay Moore is among them. She has been dancing since she was in preschool, and she hopes to be a Rockette some day. Recently, her ambitions took a step forward (or should that be a jete?) when she won a four-week summer scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet School in New York.

PERFORMANCES Arts On Stage Ltd. at Goucher College, Kraushaar Auditorium, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, and at Chesapeake Arts Center, Main Stage Theatre, 194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, 410-252-8717, www.artsonstage.org. Nov. 9-10: Thunderbird American Indian Dancers Jan. 30-31: Ishangi Family African Dancers Feb. 6: Black Umfolosi "Gumboot" Dancers The Ballet Royale Institute of Maryland. 9147-D Red Branch Road, Columbia, 410-997-8443, www.balletroyale.com. Nov. 25-27: The Nutcracker Nov. 27: Tea with Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy March 25: Grand Gala Spectacular May 13: Annual Showcase of the Enrichment Program The Ballet Theatre of Maryland at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

In Columbia, 15 youngsters clicked their heels to the quick tempo of a traditional Irish jig. In Baltimore, three generations of African-American dancers moved rhythmically to the pounding of drums, singing lyrics in West African dialects. And in Laurel, six women in sleek black dresses whirled in a series of exotic Spanish Flamenco steps. All were preparing for performances in the 2005-2006 arts season - the Baltimore Irish Festival in September, an African dance concert at Center Stage in October and Maryland Dance Council's Annapolis Gala Concert in November.

Sitting on a wooden stool, her legs crossed and toes pointing to the ground, instructor Janette Sullivan called out advice to the dancers gracefully twirling in front of her. "Keep arms up! Shoulders back! Nice and easy, girls," she shouts over the fast-paced music playing in the muggy, unair-conditioned dance studio. (The dancers choose to turn the air conditioning off to "keep their muscles loose," Sullivan said.) She starts each day teaching ballet at the State of the Arts Dance Center in Westminster.

Dance festival begins July 11 in Westminster The Westminster Ballet Theatre will hold its first Westminster International Dance Festival from July 11 to Aug. 12 at State of the Arts Dance Studio, 90 Aileron Court, Suite 3. The goal is to gather dancers, teachers, theater production specialists and art enthusiasts from all over the world to share, discover, learn and perform in the county. The festival will allow the dancers world-class training, uniting a diverse global community of choreographers, performers, teachers and students in five weeks of intense study, exploration and exchange.

FORE! THE ANNUAL North County High School Golf Classic, sponsored by the North County High School athletic program, will begin at 7:30 a.m. June 20 at River Downs Golfer's Club in Finksburg.The fee is $75 per golfer and includes cart, greens fee and range balls, tee gift, continental breakfast and buffet after the tournament. Hole-in-one prizes will be awarded, and the top three teams will win gift certificates.The entry deadline is June 13.Call Nelson Martin at 222-6970 to register or for more information.

Mary Dann, who with her sister helped represent the Shoshone Nation in its effort to reclaim millions of acres of ancestral land, died in an accident on her rural central Nevada ranch Friday. She was in her 80s but had never disclosed her exact age. She apparently had an accident on an all-terrain vehicle while she was repairing fence on the Crescent Valley ranch, according to Julie Fishel of the Western Shoshone Defense Project. For more than a quarter-century, Ms. Dann and her sister Carrie were at the forefront of efforts to reclaim a vast tract spreading across four states.

Mary Dann, who with her sister helped represent the Shoshone Nation in its effort to reclaim millions of acres of ancestral land, died in an accident on her rural central Nevada ranch Friday. She was in her 80s but had never disclosed her exact age. She apparently had an accident on an all-terrain vehicle while she was repairing fence on the Crescent Valley ranch, according to Julie Fishel of the Western Shoshone Defense Project. For more than a quarter-century, Ms. Dann and her sister Carrie were at the forefront of efforts to reclaim a vast tract spreading across four states.

Crab and clam bake Pack your mallet and head on down to Crisfield on the Eastern Shore Wednesday to crack some steamed crustaceans at the 25th annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. Once you have tired of picking crabs, load up on fried clams, fresh fried fish and corn-on-the-cob or head to the raw bar at the all-you-can-eat event that's named for a native son who was Maryland's governor from 1958 until 1966. Sponsored by the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual event attracts politicians and seafood lovers from around the state -- about 5,000 each year.