Dancers Hit the Runway at
5th Annual Jersey Arts Holiday Fashion Show
(Trenton, NJ) While many may be accustomed to seeing dance companies perform “The Nutcracker” this time of year, in New Jersey it has also become the season to see dancers in a different light – up close and personal on the runway modeling the season’s hottest fashions. This year is no different as the 5th Annual Jersey Arts Holiday Fashion Show comes to the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, NJ on Saturday, November 22, 2008 from 1:00pm-3:30pm.
The Discover Jersey Arts program, a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, has been teaming up with Dance New Jersey and the Jersey Gardens Mall for the past several years to make this event a reality. “The idea for the fashion show came out of an informal discussion about ways we could broaden audiences for dance and make the art form more accessible,” states Jim Atkinson, Program Manager of the Discover Jersey Arts initiative. “I called Dance New Jersey having no idea whether or not they would have interest in the concept and was thrilled when they agreed to come on-board.” Macada Brandl, Executive Director of Dance New Jersey, a service organization representing dance companies and the dance community statewide, adds, “We loved the idea from the start. Promoting dance to the greater public is a big part of our mission and we think this is a great way to reach new audiences for our member companies.”
The Jersey Gardens Mall joined the effort and agreed to host the event. “We have a long history of working with arts organizations to promote their events while creating a pleasant shopping environment for our guests,” states Crystal Stell, Marketing Director for Jersey Gardens. “We didn’t originally have a fashion show on our schedule for the holiday season, so the timing worked out perfectly for us. Now this event has become one of our most popular and one that guests ask about every year.”
This year dancers from the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre, American Repertory Ballet, Benedict Dance Company , In Motion Dance Company, moe-tion dance theatre, Rahway Dance Theatre and T.G. Gordon Dance Company will participate in the fashion show, which doesn’t end at just modeling. “While we all liked the idea of having dancers serve as models for the show, we also wanted to make sure the art form would be incorporated into the event,” adds Atkinson. So in addition to modeling, several of the companies will put together short choreographed dance pieces to be included in the show. This integration of dance into the event is equally important to Dance New Jersey. “We want to make sure that people who come to the show walk away with a small taste of the expressive and dynamic nature of dance,” adds Brandl. “We need to feel the Fashion Show not only promotes the participating companies, but also reflects well on the art form. This event does that very well.”
The pre-show activities start at 1:00pm as Niko and the Z100 Party Patrol will be on-hand spinning music and registering people to win tickets to a number of upcoming holiday events taking place in New Jersey, including classics such as “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol”. The dancers will hit the runway at 3:00pm. Complete details are available at 1.800.THE ARTS or online at www.JerseyArts.com/fashionshow.
The Jersey Arts Holiday Fashion Show is presented by Discover Jersey Arts, Dance New Jersey, Z100 and the Jersey Gardens Mall. Discover Jersey Arts is a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and ArtPride New Jersey Foundation dedicated to increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey.
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Complete details available at www.JerseyArts.com/fashionshow
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Photos Available:
Photo One
Dancers from Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre and Roxey Ballet pose as models at holiday fashion show
Photo Two
Dancers
from Roxey Ballet perform during holiday fashion show
Photo Three
Dancer from Roxey Ballet performs during holiday fashion show
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