West Kelowna, BC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/25/2014 -- "There's salsa festivals from Tokyo to Berlin to LA to New York," said Michelle Hyde-Wright, one of the organizers, "but this is the first time we've ever had one here in Eugene, so it's pretty exciting."

Event organizer and dancer Jose Cruz thinks the Dance festival will bring a new cultural feel to the area.

"We want to create something bigger to let Eugene know we have Latin music," he said.

Ticket to the Dance Competition start at $20, but you can also grab weekend packages.

"On both evenings we're gonna have a full hour of beginners class from 8:30 to 9:30, and then there's going to be a full hour of performances after that," Hyde-Wright said. "Even if someone's never done salsa before, they're definitely welcome to come, do the really beginners class, watch the shows, try a little dancing with the band."

- This competition focuses on the highest levels of classical ballet and contemporary disciplines for dancers between the ages of 9 and 19 divided into three categories by age. Many young artists from Gwinnett participated last year when YAGP held its Southeastern semifinal in Atlanta for the first time, with GBT’s Madison Greene and Abigrace Diprima as well as Victoria Hasek and Tamon Uruno of the Royal Dance Academy attaining the status of top 12 finalists in their respective age groups for the Southeast.

- This year, at least 24 young artists from Gwinnett studios are competing. Studios responding to inquiries yielded the following list of participants, listed in alphabetical order of the studio name:

- From Buford School of Ballet, participants are Kayla Muirhead, 14 and Bridget Horrocks, 16.

- From the Academy of Ballet in Norcross — Anna Margaret Dunlap, 15, of Roswell High School, and Samantha Mia Lee, 18, of Norcross High School

- There are 14 competitors from Gwinnett Ballet Theatre — Taylor Adams, 14, Grayson High School; Kaylee Boyd, 15, home schooled; Julianna Brown, 14, Brookwood High School; Abigrace Diprima, 18, Gwinnett Online; Kelli Frangoulis, 15, Brookwood High School; Hannah Freeman 14, Grayson High School; Madison Greene, 14, Brookwood high School; Sydney Haglund, 16, home schooled; Danielle Hoyle, 14, Trickum Middle School; Alex Nowell, 10, home schooled; Cameron Silas 14, Cruise Middle School; Jordan Silas, 16, Brookwood High School; Amelia Snyder, 14, St. Pius; Madeline Whitehead, 15, Grayson High School.

- From Sugarloaf Ballet are the following competitors — Alberto Andrade, 13 from Creekland Middle School; Jada Bourgeois, 13, Lanier Middle School; Charly Gioino, 16, Gwinnett Online Academy; Ava Hager, 12, Osbourne Middle School; Abigail Harrison, 16, Gwinnett Online Academy; Jane LaMay, 16, Greater Atlanta Christian; Lola O’Leary, 9, Level Creek Elementary; and Alexis Smith, 13, who is home schooled.

- Now in its 15th year, YAGP has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to winning dancers since it was launched in 1999 by two former dancers of the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet, Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev.

About Showtime Dance Promotions
Showtime Dance Promotions is one of the biggest organizers of Dance Competition and Dance Festivals in Canada. For more information visit http://showtimedancepromotions.com/ or contact Email: info@showtimedancepromotions.com