Our Press Release

July 6, 2017

Check out Wake Forest Dance Festival press release that was just shared with the local media!

Thank you Communicopia Marketing Services INC for all your work, help and guidance.

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux, Wake Forest Dance Festival director
info@wakeforestdancefestival.org

Calendar Item: Wake Forest Dance Festival, the Triangle’s first outdoor dance festival is planned for Sept. 30, 2017, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road in Wake Forest. Free and family-friendly, the inaugural event will feature national and regional professional dancers, as well as local rising advanced performers. The festival will begin with an educational technical rehearsal in the morning and conclude with a staged performance lasting through the early evening. During the day, dancers will perform in different areas of Joyner Park and facilitate education stations. The event is presented by Wake Forest Arts in partnership with the Town of Wake Forest and the festival’s director is Wake Forest resident Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux, a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York City. Event details can be found at www.WakeForestDanceFestival.org.

The Triangle’s First and Only Free Outdoor Dance Festival Planned for Sept. 30 in Wake Forest
(Wake Forest, N.C., July 6, 2017) – An outdoor dance festival debuting on Sept. 30, 2017, in Wake Forest is the first of its kind in the greater Triangle area. The Wake Forest Dance Festival is a free, family-friendly, daylong event from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. featuring professional dancers at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road, Wake Forest.
The inaugural event is presented by Wake Forest Arts in partnership with the Town of Wake Forest and will bring a day of dance to the Triangle in an outdoor setting. The event will feature national and regional professional dancers, as well as local rising advanced dance performers.
“For 25 years, Wake Forest Arts has supported and enhanced a strong, vibrant community through arts and cultural activities,” said Mary Petretich, president of Wake Forest Arts. “We’re happy to be involved with the Wake Forest Dance Festival from its inception and have plans to establish it as a mainstay arts event.”
The festival’s director Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux is a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York City. Currently, she is a professional concert dance performer and a dance educator living in Wake Forest.
“After many years of performing in various outdoor festivals both nationally and internationally, Joyner Park presented an opportunity and an inspiration to start a professional dance festival and bring attention to the art of dance in the community in a beautiful setting,” said Maddux. “It's our goal to inspire dancers, entertain the public and expose the audience to the art of movement.”
The festival will begin with an educational technical rehearsal in the morning and conclude with a staged performance lasting through the early evening. During the day, mini dance performances showcasing various dance styles will take place in select areas of Joyner Park culminating with a staged performance.

10 a.m. – noon: Technical Rehearsal – Attendees who want a behind the scenes look can attend the Technical Rehearsal, which is a run-through of the Festival Concert that will take place later in the day. Some of the performers and the stage manager will be available to answer questions.
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Tour in Motion – A guided tour will begin at the top of every hour and give attendees the opportunity to experience dance in intimate outdoor settings throughout Joyner Park.
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Festival Concert – The main concert of the festival will feature professional dancers and rising advanced dancers from local dance institutions.

The event will pay tribute to long-time Wake Forest dance instructor Elizabeth “Betty” Hunt Holding and her dance legacy. Having studied ballet under famed Russian choreographer George Balanchine and performed with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Holding arrived in Wake Forest in the 1940s. She opened Wake Forest’s most historic dance studio, the Holding School of Dance, in her home where she taught dance to students for more than 30 years until her death in 2007.

Visit the event’s website www.WakeForestDanceFestival.org and Facebook page www.facebook.com/WakeForestDance for more information on the event and for sponsor and volunteer opportunities.

ON THE RISE WITH CROWDRISE

July 4, 2017

In case you haven't heard yet, we have launched a new fundraising campaign with Crowdrise. Getting a brand new Dance Festival off the ground is both exciting and challenging and paving the way to a new event has been no walk in the park, some pun intended =). We are hopeful just as we are relentless in getting the support and funding to bring Wake Forest Dance Festival to an exciting new start in the Town of Wake Forest. We have already had a good start with fundraising via word of mouth, our High $5 Fridays campaign, and from partnering with organizations, however we are now launching a Crowdrise campaign to accelerate our fundraising to reach our ultimate goal.

Please check out https://www.crowdrise.com/wake-forest-dance-festival! Support, share, tell your friends and family. Together we can get this goal reached and surpassed and bring a day of dance for so many to experience and share.

Dance with us!

Give Wake Forest Dance Festival a Virtual High $5!

June 2, 2017

Its High $5 Friday everyone! Wake Forest Dance Festival is kicking off a brand new fundraising campaign to raise community awareness about the event and to raise the necessary funds for the Festival. If you are passionate about dance and wish to share your passion with others we encourage you to support this project by giving it a virtual High $5! It’s easy, quick and makes a world of a difference in getting this exciting project off the ground.

HIGH FIVE!

First Festival Photo Shoot A Great Success

May 28, 2017

The weather forecast for this past Saturday was initially daunting. With rain and thunderstorms in the mix, a scheduled outdoor photo shoot with the dancers of Destiny Dance Institute had every chance of being canceled. But we were lucky, with a warm breeze and the beautiful sunlight, the day could not have been more perfect for capturing images of these beautiful movers in an outdoor setting. The dancers posed and soared in the air as George Randy Bass and Maksym Kolotun captured this talent in motion. It was an inspiring day for everyone involved. The dancers got creative, pushed their abilities and cheered each other on to capture some amazing photographs.

Olivia, Lauren and Rose soaring in the wind.

Olivia and Bailey seeing their toes from a different angle.

The photo shoot had an end result in mind, to get more images of the local rising advanced dancers to enhance the content of the festival website and social media accounts. This is the first photo shoot, hopefully of many, as we spread the word about this exciting event and get more artists involved in the Wake Forest Dance Festival. You too can be a part of this event by joining in the effort to get this unique event off the ground. Become a participant, donate your time, be a sponsor. Spread the word!

Patty Ogden, the owner of Destiny Dance Institute and Randy Bass getting a sneak peak of a captured photo.

Maksym Kolotun getting a shot of Laurel.

Wake Forest Dance Festival is hoping to bring the community together through dance but it seems that a new goal is emerging. The goal to inspire young artists to create through dance, to develop new friendships, make unforgettable memories and maybe one day to emerge as dance leaders in their own communities, including the Town of Wake Forest.

Oh what a Town!

May 16, 2017

To anyone who has ever doubted their ability to start something new. This post is for you. Wake Forest Dance Festival simply wanted to share how moved and incredibly inspired we are by the excitement and genuine interest the community of our town has expressed in making this premiere event a success. Ever since the website and the social media accounts went live we have been receiving inquiries about volunteering, participating, people offering their help and expertise. We have also started to receive funding, which we are incredibly grateful for! Every donation is a big step in the right direction to make Wake Forest Dance Festival a smashing success. This short blog entry is just an account of how wonderful the people of Wake Forest are and to those who are motivated to start something new in our community, we hope this short paragraph will serve as an inspiration.

A Dance Festival in the making

May 8, 2017

Outdoor performance venues have a different, almost romantic appeal to them. There is something magical about breaking down the conventional theater setting and bringing performing arts to the outdoors for the public to enjoy. Wake Forest Dance Festival aims to do just that under the open skies on the grounds of a remarkable place, E.Carroll Joyner Park. The journey of creating this inaugural event is truly special and we are having a wonderful time every step of the way. Join us on this adventure, as a sponsor, as a participant, as a volunteer! We are bringing dance to the community and the community together through dance! Be a part of it!

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