Dancers head to Prague for festival

Angelique Flores

Local dancers are warming up for the Prague Dance Festival next week.

Choreographer Nannette Brodie and her company, The Nannette Brodie Dance

Theatre, will help represent the United States at the Czech Republic

festival where 30 countries are expected to participate.

Brodie has been the director of dance at Golden West College for 25

years. Her dancers, all students or graduates of Golden West, and dancers

under local choreographers Nicole Delhaye of Metropolitan Ballet and

Tracy Fitzpatrick of Wasted Talent will present three pieces of ballet

and modern dance.

“We’re really excited to make contacts and friends and learn of other

festivals,” Brodie said.

The group of about 30 dancers will spend a week in Prague performing at

theaters, including the Mozart Theater. They also plan to enjoy tours,

dinner parties and boat trips.

“I’m excited to go to Prague to perform and show them what USA can do,”

said Allison Clark, a member of the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre and a

Newport Beach resident.

The group was invited to showcase its work in Prague after submitting a

video of the dancers to the festival’s director.

The dances the group will perform in Prague will premiere this weekend at

Golden West College’s Invitational Dance Concert 2000. The show will

present 15 pieces of modern, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, musical theater and

Latin jazz dance choreographed by students and faculty.

Brodie started her contemporary dance company 14 years ago. She has

choreographed independently in musical theater, dance companies,

television and film, while starting her own company and nonprofit

corporation, South Coast Dance Arts Alliance. She also performed and did

choreography for The Moving Company, a Los Angeles modern dance company,

from 1970 to 1978.

Her choreography has been performed in more than 250 venues in New York,

California, Mexico and France.

The dance concert will be held at the Mainstage Theatre at Golden West

College, 15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach, at 8 p.m. Friday and

Saturday. Tickets are $10.50, or $8.50 for students. For more

information, call 895-8150.