Performers are welcomed to City College’s dance festival to learn different genres of dancing that students have never had a chance to experience at school.
The festival will take place on campus for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 23. City College’s dance instructor Pamela Lappen will direct the event.
“I hope people from SBCC and Santa Barbara community attend the dance festival and take advantage of the opportunity to try a new dance style and make new friends,” Lappen said.
The Dance Festival offers 11 classes that anyone can attend.
The event will also feature dance classes not offered by the college, including the East Coast swing, belly dancing, contemporary, world dance, improvisation, Bollywood-style, flamenco, Viennese waltz, tango, Mexican folkloric and hip hop.
“It’s a really great opportunity to learn from some really big names in the Santa Barbara dance community,” said Eboni Walker, a City College student.
The participation fee is $20 if registered in advance, and $25 on the day of the event. The classes will be held in classrooms in the Sports Pavilion on East Campus.
Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the first classes, East Coast swing with Derrick Curtis and belly dancing with Natalie Van Zelm, start at 10 a.m.. Participants do not need to make reservations.
They do, however, need to sign up for classes at the registration table outside the classroom before classes are full. Hip-hop with Kara Stewart, the final class, is scheduled to end at 4:20 p.m..
All guest instructors teaching classes are volunteering their time for this event. The money that is raised will be used for the dance concert during spring semester.
“This is an opportunity to have the time of your life for a great cause,” said Shoshanah Kaufman, a City College student attending the festival.
“I think it is impossible to take this many dance classes from all the wonderful genres in one day, especially for the price, if it wasn’t for this event.”
“I’m really excited,” said Walker. “There are going to be some really amazing choreographers from the community.”
Lappen said she is thankful to their professional guest artists and instructors from the community who are graciously volunteering their time and professional expertise to make this event a great success.
She hopes to see people there have fun and discover “the joy and beauty of dance.”
“Why not? Just dance,” said Kaufman. “Hope to see everyone there.”
More information on the event, including schedules for all 11 classes,can be accessed by searching Santa Barbara City College dance festival on Facebook.
