Performing Arts

Like bouquets of flowers neatly arranged, 16 dancers in pastel tutus rehearse for their performance of Festive Overture this weekend. Right in the middle, playing the star role, is 14-year-old Brittney Dito, all of 4 feet, 10 inches and intense.

Photos by ELIZABETH M. CLAFFEY/Special Contributor

Emily Brideau, 17, works with her fellow members of Ballet Ensemble of Texas in preparation for the Regional Dance America/ Southwest Festival.

Brittney dances with brio, as befits someone who has been taking ballet class since she was 5. "I love being able to express myself," she says after rehearsal.

While Brittney, a member of Ballet Ensemble of Texas, gets a star role, she has plenty of competition. More than 600 dancers will descend on the Eisemann Center this weekend for the 51st annual Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival.

The festival is a chance to see some of the best student dancers from companies in four states. This year is the first time in 35 years that the festival will be in the Dallas area.

The public will be able to see three different programs, culminating with the Gala Performance on Sunday evening. But for the dancers, it's a lot more than just performing. Master classes run from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. for three days in a row on ballet, jazz, modern, Pilates, pointe variations, pas de deux and "Craft of Choreography." Dancers also compete for scholarships for summer workshops.

The host company is Coppell-based Ballet Ensemble of Texas, which joined the festival five years ago.

"This is great for kids who are serious about dance," says the ballet's Lisa Slagle Nicholson. "They need to see their peers, see different types of ballets and study with master teachers."

Before the festival started, such opportunities for students were rare, and "the only way to see dance was to go to New York or San Francisco," says Glenda Brown, artistic director of Allegro Ballet of Houston and three-time host for the festival. "We wanted to decentralize dance."

Ms. Nicholson was in high school in 1973 when she first participated in the festival with Allegro Ballet. "At that time, the only way to meet Robert Joffrey was though the festival," Ms. Nicholson remembers. "Now there are workshops everywhere."

Over the last half decade, the overall number of dancers, studios and companies has grown exponentially. Several festival member companies have turned professional, with the Southwest region alone being the springboard for Dallas Ballet (now defunct), Ballet Austin, Delta Festival Ballet (New Orleans), Tulsa Ballet Theater and Ballet Oklahoma.

Entry into the festival is competitive. Each company is evaluated every year by a single judge. Angela Whitehill, founding artistic director of Burklyn Ballet Theatre, made her rounds in February, also choosing the repertory.

"There is a lot of camaraderie and a lot of networking," Ms. Nicholson says. "It's a friendly, and competitive, environment."

As for Brittney, who competed in February in the semifinals of Youth America Grand Prix and earned the top score in contemporary and classical ballet for her age group, Ms. Nicholson is justifiably proud. "She works so hard. I would like to clone her."

Margaret Putnam is a Richardson-based writer who covers dance.

Plan your life

Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival, in three parts: Friday, "Opening Ceremonies and Emerging Choreographers"; Saturday, "Showcase Performance"; and Sunday, "Gala Performance." All at 7:30 p.m. Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Drive, Richardson. $25 general, $20 seniors and students. 972-744-4650 or www.eisemanncenter.com.

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