BYA to Perform at the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival, 10/14-24

Ballet For Young Audiences (BYA), a New York based non-profit dance company founded in 1985, will perform at the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival in Nanning, China from October 14 to 24, 2011. The company will present an excerpt from Director Edwin Kinter's "Spring Song", co-choreographed by Harriett Leigh Kinter in Nanning at the invitation of the Artistic Committee of the festival.

The piece is based on the painting "Tapestry of Dreams" by Shanye Huang and is set to an original score by Silas Huff. BYA was chosen as one of four featured groups in the opening ceremony of the Festival and will perform the excerpt of Spring Song several times in Nanning.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Ballet for Young Audiences across the world," says Edwin Kinter of their first international tour. "It is an honor to be invited to perform at a festival of this size and scope." Though there were challenges in organizing and funding an international tour, the company is prepared to head overseas on Thursday, October 13th. "We've worked really hard to make this experience happen and are excited to be part of a diverse festival."

"Spring Song" premiered at BYA's "Spring Dances" program in April 2009. The performers are Edwin Kinter, Ericka Richcrick, Karina Teran, and Eric Ragan and Richard Ye, a Chinese-American.

BYA's NYC performance schedule and more information are available at www.byanyc.org.

Ballet for Young Audiences is a non-profit dance company established in 1985 dedicated to introducing the magic of dance to youngsters of all ages. The repertoire combines the universal languages of music, dance and spoken word in condensed classical ballets, creating accessible hour-long performances with full narration. Productions include "Pirates," "Cinderella", "Jungle Book," "Circus, Circa 1900," "The Little Mermaid," "Romeo and Juliet," "Zorro," "Sleeping Beauty," and "The Nutcracker." The company performs frequently at The 92nd Street Y, Queens Theater in the Park, LaGuardia Community College, The Secret Theater in LIC, and across NYC. www.byanyc.org