About
The mission of Youth Dance Fest (YDF) is to unite talented and aspiring pre-professional dancers from across the nation in a non-competitive environment, giving them accessible educational and performance opportunities at an affordable rate.
YDF unites dancers from different dance backgrounds and cultures, allowing them to learn from each other, unite through dance, and gain a further sense of community. The festival highlights performances of diverse dance genres performed by the pre-professional companies attending the festival. The festival performance is held in a professional theater giving students the opportunity to experience performing in a professional setting with full production, lighting and sound
YDF participants are given the opportunity to take Master Classes in various cultural dance expressions from established teaching artists. The goal of these classes is to expose the students to, and broaden their knowledge of various forms of dance helping to develop an appreciation of differing dance cultures. YDF aims to create job opportunities for the local dance community by hiring local Philadelphia based teachers and staff to work the festival.
The festival culminates in a performance, offering audience members the opportunity to experience pre-professional dance companies from across the Philadelphia Metropolitan area and the US, exposing them to the various dance forms while building support for young dancers as they continue to pursue dance professionally.
The festival strives to offer an experience that will enrich and inspire their dance craft through the celebration and performance of dance.
Currently in our eleventh year, the festival has brought together over 800 students dancing in pre-professional companies from across the nation. Many genres are presented including Ballet, Contemporary, Character Dance, Modern, Jazz, Musical Theater, Classical Indian Dance, South Korean traditional dance, Lyrical, Tap, and Hip-Hop. Past sold out shows have been held at The Painted Bride Arts Center and The Arts Bank at University of the Arts, The Mandell Theater at Drexel University, Abington Art Center, and Creative Edge Center for the Arts.
Director/Founder
Melissa Chisena
Melissa Chisena had the privilege of dancing and touring nationally with North Carolina Dance Theatre and The Richmond Ballet. Currently residing in Philadelphia, PA, Ms. Chisena has danced with Jeanne Ruddy Dance and Tania Isaac Dance. She has performed nationally and internationally at venues such as Bates Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, Aaron Davis Hall-Harlem Stage, Dance Place in DC, The Annenberg Center, The Suzanne Roberts Theatre, The Wilma, and numerous colleges throughout the US. Her choreography has been featured at North Carolina Dance Theatre, Richmond Ballet, American Dance Festival, Regional Dance America, Ursinus College, Richard Stockton College, Philadelphia Dance Theatre, Yes! Invitational, Come Together Festival, Grounds for Sculpture and many other venues across the Northeast. She is currently a member of the NADINE Project, a collaborative choreographic company Connecticut, Stone Depot Dance Lab, Beau Hancock, The Naked Stark, Tara Madsen-Robbins, and runs her own company, Chisena Danza. She is the ballet mistress at Philadelphia Dance Theatre and Janice’s Danceworks. She has taught at Temple University, Ursinus College, Bryn Mawr College, Eastern University, and Dance Elite. She is the director and founder of Youth Dance Fest.
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