On Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25 the CLT Dance Weekend will be taking over Spirit Square in uptown Charlotte. Master classes, a variety of dance performances and even a free panel discussion about the future of dance are all part of this weekend celebration.

All of this will happen in Spirit Square, located at 345 N. College St. Performances will take place inside at the Duke Energy Theater. Each evening at 8 p.m., “Dance Charlotte!” will highlight some of the best dancers around. Tickets for these performances range from $5 to $20. (Details and tickets can be found at this link.)

Dance is not new to our area, but the goals of the Charlotte Dance Festival are a little different. They want to connect the uniquely diverse Charlotte community with local and national dance artists as a means to enhance cultural understanding. Its mission is to create an innovative dance festival that is open to all dance genres.

This festival presents a wide variety of established and emerging dance artists in many different styles as a means to reach a larger audience. “Dance Charlotte!” will feature professional dance companies and choreographers from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and New York.

Performers are EEMotion (Charlotte, N.C.), Kim Jones (Charlotte, N.C.), Melanie Aceto Contemporary Dance Company (Amherst, N.Y.), Tamara LaDonna Moving Spirit, Inc.  (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Starr Foster Dance Project (Richmond, Virg.), Sapphire Moon Dance Company (Columbia, S.C.) and the CDF Repertory Ensemble with Christian von Howard (Charlotte and Richmond, Virg.).

The CDF Repertory Ensemble Dancers are: Dominique Anderson, Reba Bowens, Blakeney Bullock, Lindsey Herring, Shane Lucas, Brittany Skala, Nicole Stein, Elizabeth Sturgis, Jim Reynolds and Kate Rouse.

The “Charlotte Emerging Dance Awards” bring together area youth dance programs to perform and experience a professional festival atmosphere. A variety of Dance Master Classes, ranging from hip-hop and ballet to Afro-fusion, will take place on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also on Saturday is a free midday panel discussion with Clay Daniels, Martha Connerton and Wanda Ebright. Bring your lunch and join this group for its unique insight about Charlotte’s dance community — past, present and future — from noon to 1:15 p.m.

Whether you are a dancer, a supporter of dance or just curious, there really is something for everyone at the Charlotte Dance Weekend.

What: Charlotte Dance Weekend Who: Charlotte Dance Festival When: Feb. 24 & 25, 2012 Where: Spirit Square (345 N. College St.) / Performances at Duke Power Theater Tickets: $5 – $20 Classes: $10 – $20 Website: www.charlottedancefestival.org E-mail: [email protected]