<img src="http://www.criticaldance.com/images/rdf/RDF2003Press.jpg" alt="" />

Also, the Retail Dance Festival is still looking for sponsorships to cover artist fees, etc. So, if you have a few dollars to spare, please send a check to:

Shipp Dance Theatre
4908 Avenida de las Arboles
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Memo: Retail Dance Festival

The Festival is also looking for volunteers to help with the artists. If interested, contact:

Amy Kweskin
Director of Arts & Business Partnerships
Business Arts Council
235 Montgomery Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104
415-352-8832
www.bizarts.org <http://www.bizarts.org>

An affiliate of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

Very best wishes to all involved in the Festival. Wish I could be there!

Please note this event correction. Axis Dance Company will perform Sunday, May 4th at 12:30 pm, not 2:30-3:00 pm at the sf black & white gallery.

<img src="http://www.criticaldance.com/images/rdf/rdfflyer2003.jpg" alt="" />

From the Contra Costa Times and our good friend ME Hunt.

more...

CriticalDance.com
a vital forum for performance dance
Stuart Sweeney & Azlan Ezaddin Directors

<center>CRITICALDANCE.COM ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF RETAIL DANCE FESTIVAL</center>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2003

CONTACT: admin@criticaldance.com

San Francisco -- CriticalDance.com is proud to sponsor the 2003 Retail Dance Festival, May 3-4, in the Union Square District of San Francisco. The Festival caps off National Dance Week by kicking off with a stage performance in Union Square and then proceeding to various galleries and retail shops in the Union Square area, San Francisco's most exciting shopping district.

The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal wrote, "Once witnessed, you might dub it 'product-pitching pirouettes' or 'moshing for merchandise.' How about a little dancing with your shopping experience?"

The Retail Dance Festival is the brainchild of Kim Shipp, Artistic Director of Shipp Dance Theatre, who is producing the festival. A new concept in dance, Retail Dance brings movement into the retail setting of store windows, showrooms, special events, and advertising including stores on the internet.

"It is my belief that movement should be an integral part of our society," according to Shipp. "Let's face it, the audiences are not getting to the performances and the arts programs are the first to be cut in our schools. Where can we go? Where is one place we can find the public nowadays? Shopping…"

Azlan Ezaddin, US Director of CriticalDance.com believes "this is a great opportunity for artists to bring dance to the public. All the advertising in the world isn't going to get individuals who have no exposure to dance into theaters to watch a performance. So Retail Dance brings it to them!" Ezaddin also serves on the Executive Committee of the 2003 Festival.

CriticalDance.com provided the seed funding for the Inaugural Retail Dance Festival in 2001 and continues this tradition by sponsoring, to a wider extent, the 2003 edition of the Festival.

CriticalDance.com has provided financial or in-kind sponsorship of dance-related events around the globe, including the parent National Dance Week, San Francisco Ballet's performance at the Stern Grove Festival, a New Choreographers Program at the Royal Opera House, the Talinn Dance Festival, Words on Dance, the Shipp Dance Theatre Young Audiences Program, and the Chris Nash Photo Exhibition. Each of these events exposes non-dance audiences to dance, educates the public, or promotes innovation.

The Retail Dance Festival takes place over the May 3-4 weekend in the Union Square area of San Francisco. For a calendar of events, go to www.retaildance.org.

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CriticalDance.com is an active, international online dance community, comprised of both dance professionals and enthusiasts, in a common goal to further dance. CriticalDance.com is powered by an active forum registering up to 40,000 hits a day worldwide. Collaborations by CriticalDance.com with dance organizations include an unprecedented daily behind-the-scenes coverage of the San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet seasons at the Royal Opera House, an exclusive Photo Journal of Matthew Bourne's "Car Man," coverage of Dance Umbrella UK's prestigious Annual Festival, and the Festival International de Nouvelle Danse in Montreal. CriticalDance.com's web site address is www.criticaldance.com.

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<small>[ 27 April 2003, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: Azlan ]</small>

It was a gorgeous day today, so I went to check out the performances in the middle of Union Sqaure. I was there from 2:30-4pm, but there was no dance! What happened?

<small>[ 04 May 2003, 12:41 AM: Message edited by: Ima_Dancer ]</small>

Hi there! The outdoor stage portion of the Festival was cancelled because of uncertainty in the weather. The decision had to be made by 9am to avoid various costs and damage to equipment. At that time, the National Weather Service rated rain at 70% probability.

However, the actual retail performances went well and continues Sunday. Check it out!