DETROIT (May 12, 2008) - Maggie Allesee Department of Dance senior Lauren Cansler's choreographed work A Woman's Window is one of only 30 works from across the US to be performed in the American College Dance Festival Association's (ACDFA) National College Dance Festival in New York, June, 2008. Ms. Cansler, who hails from Lakewood, Ohio, is nominated for the prestigious ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards for both Outstanding Student Choreographer and Outstanding Student Performer.

Cansler's work also received top honors at ACDFA's East Central Region Gala Concert in Kalamazoo, March 5-8, 2008.

"Lauren's work being selected for ACDFA Nationals and her being nominated for two ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards is a huge accomplishment not only for Lauren but also for the Maggie Allesee Department of Dance," said the department's Interim Chairperson, Ray Robinson, "It's unprecedented for an undergraduate university dance program."

Detroit has a long history in the arts, and dance is no exception. So as the city and Wayne State University continue to build toward the future, the arts are playing a major role. The Maggie Allesee Department of Dance is one of the oldest university dance departments in the country and is a significant partner in shaping dance across the country.

The American College Dance Festival Association seeks to identify great choreography and performance from colleges and universities in the US. There are 347 institutional members, dance departments, spread across 10 regions of the country. These include all of the most prominent programs in the country. Each region hosts a festival, each school may submit two pieces. The pieces are judged by three adjudicators, and the school's and choreographer's names are withheld from judges' knowledge. ACDFA chooses 12 dances from the region for a final gala concert. From those 12 (of which two this year were from Wayne State), they chose two to be performed at the National Conference in New York. A Woman's Window, by Lauren Cansler, was one of the selections. It will be featured in a concert series with 29 other pieces selected from the 10 regions. This is truly an all-star appearance on the national scene with great visibility for Wayne State University, Detroit and the State of Michigan.

Additionally, Cansler will be featured in Dance Magazine as it chronicles the competition for the awards Outstanding College Choreographer and Outstanding College Performer. The national winners will be selected in New York. "This type of recognition in the dance world is comparable to being named an All-American or being nominated for the Heisman Trophy in college athletics," said Robinson. "It has the potential to launch a dancer's professional career."

Much of the recent growth and development in Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Dance is made possible by a generous gift from Maggie Allesee, for whom the department is named. Her gift makes it possible to bring in top guest artists, to produce ambitious concerts and to train the nation's best dancers and choreographers.

The American College Dance Festival Association presents the 13th National College Dance Festival in New York, June 4-6, 2008. 2008 marks the first time the National Festival is held in New York. It previously was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The Festival presents 29 dances performed in three galas featuring outstanding college and university dance. Dances represent a breadth of styles including African-influenced dance, modern dance and ballet.

Gala performances are at the Miller Theatre, Columbia University. Dances have been selected by panels of nationally recognized dance artists and educators. The ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards for Outstanding Student Choreographer and Outstanding Student Performer are presented at the June 6 gala. All concerts begin at 8:00pm. Tickets for the general public are available for all concerts and may be purchased in advance at www.acdfa.org or one hour before each performance at the Miller Theatre. The national festival is made possible by the generous support of the Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation, Barnard College, Dance Magazine and lifetime members of ACDFA. Additional support comes from Broadway Dance Center, Dance New Amsterdam, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Peridance Center and Steps on Broadway.

The Maggie Allesee Department of Dance is a vital division of Wayne State University's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. Located in the heart of Detroit's cultural center, Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education, offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.