Roxey Ballet Celebrates National Dance Week.

By Marketing Dept
The Roxey Ballet                    PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release                    Contact: Kristina Maiwaldt
April 1, 2009                            908-812-6556 or                                             [email protected]
Roxey Ballet and The Mill Ballet School Join together to open their doors to You in Celebration of National Dance Week!
Roxey Ballet, the regions only professional dance company, and The Mill Ballet School famous for world renowned training of young dancers, stay true to their mission of preserving the art of dance with an Open House and a series of Events planned during National Dance Week – all free of charge and open to the community!
Lambertville, NJ—National Dance week runs from April 24th  through May 3rd and the Lambertville-based Roxey Ballet Company wants to celebrate it with the community. The professional dance company will be conducting a “Brown Bag and the Ballet” during Shad Festival  weekend (April 23-25) and a special “Tutus and Tiaras,” for the children, and are opening their doors for area residents and friends to come in. Their home, The Mill Ballet School, will offer educational dance classes, workshops and open rehearsals all week long.
“The mission of The Roxey Ballet has strengthened the performing arts in our region for  the last 15 years. It mission is to preserve and advance the fine art of dance for generations to come. We are always looking to work and partner with the community to do this, and National Dance Week is clearly the best time,” said Mark Roxey, Artistic Director and co-founder of the company. Melissa Roxey, his wife and the Director of the Mill Ballet School, adds, “The school and the company work closely together when possible. Bridging the gap between student and professional and patron and artist is a paramount concern of both organizations. This week reminds us of the beauty of professional dance and reminds the community that it can be seen first-hand right here in Lambertville, NJ. ”
The dance company’s Brown Bag Program offers audiences a chance to bring a lunch into the dance studio and watch the company rehearse for their production of “Cinderella” which is being performed at JP Case Theater in Flemington on May 16 – 17. The Brown Bag will run daily Friday, April 23 (1:00-2:30pm), Saturday, April 24 (4:00-6:00pm) and Sunday, April 25 from 12:00-6:00pm. The professional artists and Mr. Roxey, the company’s founding director are available and open to discussion and questions during the Brown Bag and participants are given an opportunity to see dance “up-close and personal.” There will also be a Brown Bag preview of the Roxey Ballet’s upcoming production of Cinderella on Wed., April 22nd from 12:00-1:3pm ($12 for adults, $10 for children under 12).
“We find that every time we do this we get great reactions—people are really in awe that this level of talent exists in their backyards and that it is accessible to them. It is great. Our audiences love being entertained and educated and they leave here exited and rejuvenated about our beautiful art form. It’s a beautiful thing and that is what we are here to do for our community,” Mr. Roxey says.
The “Tutus and Tiaras” program, a relatively new addition, is a program of music and dance specifically designed to introduce young children to ballet through storytelling. The Wednesday, April 22nd program  will be “Cinderella” ($12 for children and $5 for adults), and will run from 10:00-11:30am. Children will hear the story told by a dancer, and will learn how dancers tell stories with pantomime and dance steps. They will also have the opportunity to see and touch the dancers’ costumes and toe shoes.  “The kids just love it and it opens their minds to dance and art, which is so important at that age,” Melissa Roxey says.
As the Director of the The Mill Ballet School, Melissa Roxey and her staff of professional teachers will be offering free trial classes during the week for students of all ages. The dance school will also highlight their schedule for the Summer Program and conduct free evaluations for dancers. The Summer Dance program, is well attended by dancers from all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “The level of professional instruction and attention that students receive during our summer programs is valuable for dancers no matter where they attend dance school during the regular school year. Our faculty hails from all over the United States and the World. The caliber of this program cannot be found elsewhere and we encourage students to challenge and improve their techniques here for these few weeks,” Mrs. Roxey said.
 “As a professional touring company, the Roxey Ballet also has to work and prepare for their upcoming performances. But meeting our community and spending time with the youngsters is really a fun break,” adds Mr. Roxey.
Information about the programs and times they are offered can be found at www.roxeyballet.org or by calling (609) 397-7616.
The Roxey Ballet is one a hand full of professional Ballet companies in the state of New Jersey, founded 16 years ago by professional dancers Mark and Melissa Roxey, the ballet is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Wachovia Foundation, The Horizon Foundation, The Bunbury Company, The Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Commission and The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.