HISD to host inaugural districtwide dance montage festival on Jan. 31

Event to serve dual-purpose: performance experience for students and constructive criticism for all

HISD’s Dance Educators Organization (DEO) will be hosting its very first dance montage festival on Saturday, Jan. 31, and the public is invited to watch.

Students pose for photographs at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts, August 12, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the Holmes Performance Hall at Lamar High School (3325 Westheimer, 77098), and students from more than 25 different dance programs will be performing.

The festival’s purpose is two-fold: give students who might not dance often in public a chance to do so and provide both students and their teachers with constructive feedback, so that they can improve their choreography and their dance programs (respectively).

Each performance will be judged by a panel of dance experts using the modified, nationally recognized Liz Lerman Critical Response Process, which follows the guidelines of the American College Dance Festival and the National High School Dance Festival, and also meets the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards for dance.

HISD has the largest number of dance programs of any district in the State of Texas.

Tickets to the festival are $8 and can be ordered on line at http://www.seatyourself.biz.