They’ll be a lot of dancing going on in Cedar Falls the next five days as part of the 2002 American College Dance Festival. Some 400 students and faculty from colleges across the Midwest are expected to attend the festival which opens tonight at the University of Northern Iowa campus. Festival coordinator Ranae Keane-Bamsey says dancers will get the chance to learn a lot.There’ll be 150 different classes in various dance techniques as well as eight concerts. She says the festival also features a competition.Five of the concerts will be judged, with the winning dancers and choreographers getting a chance to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Keane-Bamsey says this is not social dance, the type you might participate in or watch at a club. It’s dance for those who want to dance professionally or teach dance. She says the festival is an important event for dancers and instructors.The event is held every year, and every other year it’s a “national year” where the dancers are chosen for the Kennedy Center performances. Keane-Bamsey says Iowans and others are getting more exposure to professional dance. The American College Dance Festival runs through March 19th. The concerts are open to the public.
