Beginning April 21, practically all of Bainbridge Island will be kicking up its heels in celebration. The commemoration: National Dance Week which begins Friday and steps on through April 29.
So, that should actually be “National Dance Week and Two Days,” but this celebration which sweeps the entire nation seems much to large to pack into the typical seven-day work week. Kind of like a Baker’s dozen, we’ll just call April 20-29 a Dancer’s Week.
But on April 21 on Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County dance enthusiasts will be box stepping enough excitement for the duration into a massive one-day kick off event called Make Your Move — a complete list of events is available at www.makeyourmovebi.com.
In addition, throughout the week, dance-related books, movies and DVDs will be on special exhibit at local Island venues — Eagle Harbor Book Company, the Kitsap Regional Library Bainbridge branch and Silver Screen Video.
“We’ve been talking about some sort of community celebration … we really wanted to provide an opportunity to celebrate all dance art forms,” said Judy Whitehead, a member of Bainbridge’s Heels of Thunder clogging company.
Heels of Thunder has teamed up with Sheila Phillips of Educated Feet and Jillian Bateman of Bainbridge Ballet and Island Fitness to orchestrate the island’s first annual celebration.
The day is scheduled to be chock full of performances, workshops and demonstrations all about town providing opportunities for experiencing new forms of shimmy, connecting with other local experts and instructors in addition to the most basic and prominent aspect of all, having fun.
“Hopefully, if dance, in general, speaks to them at all, hopefully they’ll be inspired to try something new,” said Claudine McCormick, studio director of The Dance Within — a belly dancing company based in Poulsbo. “I think it will be a great sampler to see different techniques, different muscles being used, different body styles, different body types.”
McCormick will be teaching one of 15 workshops that will be scattered at Bainbridge businesses an organizations for the April 21 celebration. Her belly dance session will be from 1:15-1:45 p.m. at the Bainbridge Athletic Club XPRESS — 403 Madison Ave. N Ste 200.
The Bainbridge Kids Discovery Museum (305 Madison Ave. Suite C), the Island Center Hall (8395 Fletcher Bay Rd. NE), the Bainbridge Ballet (945 Hildebrand Ln. NE, Suite 140) and Island Fitness (190 Madison Ave.) will each also be hosting events with the earliest beginning at 11 a.m. and final sessions starting at 2 p.m.
All workshops are free, except those being led by master tap-dancer Brenda Bufalino, an internationally acclaimed jazz tap pioneer who will be flying in from New York City, making her own move as Make Your Move’s featured artist.
“She is one of the originals of the tap dance movement, and we thought it would be just great to have her come out,” Whitehead said.
Bufalino — whom Gregory Hines tagged as one of the greatest female dancers who have ever lived — will be teaching a master tap class for advanced beginners at 11 a.m. April 21 at Bainrbidge ballet. Anticipating the allure of the esteemed tap innovator, a second day of the workshop with an additional session is set for April 22.
In between those instructional appearances, Bufalino will also shine in the event’s showcase “Look Who’s Dancing!” which is set to be a collaborative show highlighting the diversity of dance in the region. Bufalino and other local and visiting dance professionals will count it off at 3:30 p.m. April 21 at the Bainbridge Cinemas at the Pavilion — 403 N. Madison Ave.
The nine-day Dancer’s Week, crammed into 24 hours will culminate at 7 p.m. with a community dance at the same place.
