The 51st Annual National Choreography Intensive will be headed up by Nelly van Bommel.  Nelly van Bommel was selected as one of Dance Magazine’s ‘25 to Watch’ in January 2010. Her work has been featured in France, Taiwan, Canada and the US in major venues and festivals. A native of France, Ms. Van Bommel moved to the US in 2002 thanks to a fellowship from the Conseil Régional d’lle de France. Upon completion of the MFA dance program at Purchase College, she was presented with an Outstanding MFA Graduate Award for excellence. Ms.

The Regional Dance America National Choreography Intensive (NCI) is a multi-faceted program, providing dancers, emerging choreographers and seasoned choreographers the unparalleled opportunity to work, study and create under the guidance of nationally recognized professionals in the fields of music and dance. The NCI provides a vital training ground/working environment for choreographers and a one-of-a-kind experience for dancers to work within a variety of styles and train with some of the best teachers in the world.

AT THE NATIONAL BALLET SCHOOL of Canada, a group of 9 to 14-year-olds take turns presenting their choreography to an informal audience of parents, other students, and teachers. The children, however tentative, seem to take joy in participating in the creative process using a movement vocabulary they love.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre soloist Christine Schwaner said she remembers the exact moment she suffered the first serious injury of her career, a bad left ankle sprain she sustained in a fall at 1:30 p.m., Dec. 16, 2008, during a rehearsal of "The Nutcracker."

"I slipped on the floor," she said.

"When I did that one, I did it good. When I fell, all my weight went on my ankle."

Heartland Youth Ballet, a performance group that is part of Robin Welch Dance Arts in Omaha, has been chosen to be Nebraska’s only member of Regional Dance America.

RDA, a national organization, fosters the education and growth of dance students, choreographers, directors and dance companies.

Students will have access to master classes, learn dances created by resident and guest choreographers, and meet other dance students at an annual four-day RDA gathering. This year’s gathering is May 18-21 in Pittsburgh.

They are the most important element of a ballerina's costume: Pointe shoes, which allow dancers to stand on the tips of their toes, can make the difference between an amazing performance and a dismal show.

So important are the pink silk shoes in the life of a dancer that most ballerinas will only ever wear established and trusted brands -- and for the greats of the ballet world, this brand is Freed of London.

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis' strong acting brought Golden Globe nominations and Oscar buzz to their new film, Black Swan, but more importantly, the pair's grinding, slavish devotion to training for their roles as top ballerinas is bringing to light the pressure, tears and constant paranoia that real-life dancers so often face in pursuit of the art.

There is no other experience quite like Regional Dance America Northeast!

“Art does not flourish in isolation. It grows in an atmosphere of candor and sharing. By attending festivals RDA member companies gain a wider perspective about their current level and their potential for progress.”

Doris Hering
RDA Director Emeritus and former Dance Magazine associate editor and critic