Yuma dancers to strut stuff on prestigious Pennsylvania stage

A reputation for fancy footwork has earned Ballet Yuma an invitation to strut its stuff at an exclusive East Coast dance festival.

The local dancers will join only two other companies invited to perform at the prestigious Saturday Night Gala during Regional Dance America's national festival in Pittsburgh.

"This is a pretty big deal," said Kathleen Sinclair, owner of Ballet Yuma. "This is very much an honor. We didn't think we would be able to be chosen."

The company is the only one from Arizona asked to attend the late-April event, according to Debra Rogo, past president of RDA.

It turns out that getting invited to the national event at all amounts to a big coup as well. Only 18 of RDA's 92 member companies were given the green light to attend the proverbial ball, according to Sinclair.

"These really are the best of the best. A lot of these other companies are from large metro areas, too. They have big budgets and here we're just little podunk Yuma."

Yuma's dancers will perform the ballet "Beauté des Sept."

Ballet Yuma earned its invitation based on what visiting professionals saw during RDA's adjudication or accreditation of the Yuma program.

"This is a tough organization to stay in," Sinclair said. "You have to be open to be adjudicated every year against the high standards that RDA sets."

The recent adjudication also resulted in dancer Amelia Gandara being named first alternate for the Pacific Region's Monticello Award. More awards and scholarships will be presented during the dance festival.

In the meantime, the Yuma dancers are busy earning money to help fund their upcoming trip. "Registration alone is $350, plus hotel and airfare," Sinclair said. "It's quite a bit."

Today dancers will help with a book fair at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, and a percentage of items sold from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will benefit the young performers.

Dancers are selling raffle tickets and various Avon products, all available at the dance studio's 11842 S. Avenue 4E location.

The dance company is also looking for individual and corporate sponsors for the upcoming trip. For more information on those opportunities, call 345-1534.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.