CLEVELAND — It's a big milestone for the Northeast Ohio dance community. The Movement Project will host its 10th annual Cleveland Dance Fest, and this year, the festival will perform on an even bigger stage.
The Movement Project Company members are practicing ahead of one of their biggest weekends of the year. "We are not only attracting artists from Northeast Ohio, that's the main goal, but we have artists from across the nation that come," said Megan Gargano, Artistic Director, The Movement Project.
Dancers will take the stage at Playhouse Square this year. The festival is a rare chance for artists of all skill levels to perform in a professional setting.
"A lot of times with beautiful, amazing facilities like this, it's not really accessible a lot of times to a lot of community artists," said Gargano.
For company member Liz Conway, it's a homecoming.
"I grew up in Northeast Ohio and I have the pleasure of being on some of these stages as a child so this is kind of like a little homecoming for that which is really exciting," said Conway.
Beyond the performances, the festival funds creativity year-round, providing dance lessons in schools and financial support for local artists.
"We've paid over 66,000 towards artists total, just through Cleveland Dance Fest, so it's a huge financial support to artists."
The weekend isn't just for dancers, it's for anyone who wants to see movement in a new light.
"There's going to be something for everybody, if you're familiar with Playhouse Square but you've maybe only seen a theater or play here, coming and seeing really specific dance and dance at a really high level, I think they're going to be really impressed," said Conway.
Cleveland Dance Fest will run Nov. 7-9. If you'd like to check out the lineup for the weekend or grab tickets, visit their website here.
