American Dance Festival Kicks Off
By Susan Tart

Behind every serious dancer is serious training, and that means a lot of jumps, kicks, spins and falls. For the dancers at the American Dance Festival, all the hard training is considered a privilege.

Paige Grantham is one of those dancers.

"I've always wanted to do ADF, here right near my hometown. So many reputable people and companies come to this area and congregate on the Duke campus, so it's just a whole plethora of knowledge and people to absorb," Grantham said.

"Home of an art form," the festival is a showcase of the best of the best. Some local dancers get discovered here. Others, like Joan Nicholas-Walker get to show off their choreography.

"I'm really excited, I feel like I've waited a whole year to do this. I'm excited about showing this work, Mental Picture," Nicholas-Walker said.

Duke University hosts the American Dance Festival each year. Dancers flock here not just from across the United States, but from around the world as well.

Most dancers come to take classes to improve their modern dance techniques, although other genres such as hip hop and African dance are also taught. Professional dancers teach classes during the day and perform at night.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company jump-started this year's performances on Thursday. If you missed it, there's still time to see other performances by dancer and musician David Dorfman, Shen Wei Dance Arts and Pilobolus. Whether you're just watching the shows or dancing, the American Dance Festival is sure to leave you tapping your feet and wishing for more.