The Wayne State University Dance Company took part in the regional American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) festival and gala, February 27 - March 2, 2002, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Performances at ACDFA are adjudicated and the WSU troupe performed to great critical acclaim and became one of only five in the Great Lakes Region selected to perform at the prestigious National American College Dance Festival which will take place at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, May 13- 15, 2002. This is the WSU Dance Company's second consecutive invitation to the national festival.

Only a select few collegiate dance groups from each of the nine ACDFA regions are honored to represent their region at the organization's biennial national festival. Yet, thousands of young dancers across the country attend the event and benefit from viewing dozens of dances, listening to the wisdom of distinguished adjudicators and appreciating the creative energy of fellow dancers and choreographers. "ACDFA makes an effort to avoid a competitive spirit at its festivals," says WSU Dance Company Director Linda Simmons. "The works are adjudicated for choreographers' artistic growth and are selected for the Gala as a means of sharing some of the more successful works with all festival participants. Students from colleges and universities are usually very supportive of one another, sharing ideas, contacts and friendship."

The Wayne State Dance Company will be performing on the national stage a dance entitled "Spiritual Decree "by Edward Franklin, a former member of the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. "Spiritual Decree" is an expanded version of his dance "Edward's Peace" originally presented in the WSU company's 2001 annual ONSTAGE! Dance Performances for Children concert series last fall.

The WSU Dance Company premiered two works at the regional festival: Christopher Masters' "A Day in the Life. . . A Family Affair" and Michelle Moscone's ". . . of Six Raining Me." Masters, a 2001 Blanch Shafarman Choreography Award winner and 2000 Copperfoot Award winner, is a junior in the WSU dance program. Moscone, a 2001 Copperfoot Award winner and 2000 Spirit of Dance Award winner, is a senior in the program.

The company's 73rd Annual Spring Dance Concert, titled "By Chance" will be presented at Wayne State's Bonstelle Theatre (Woodward at Mack) March 22 and 23, 2002. For ticket information, call the Dance Department office at (313) 577-4273 or the Box Office at (313) 577-2972.