(NEW HOPE, PA) -- Roxey Ballet will host the third annual River Dance Festival August 16-18, 2024 at Mill Ballet in New Hope, PA. Dancers, choreographers, and creators will get together in this three-day event featuring diverse talent from across the nation.

The mission of the festival is to give artists a platform to present their work with an emphasis on BIPOC artists. The River Dance Festival provides artists with professional theatrical space to perform and rehearse, a high-quality video of their show, and audience feedback.

The festival will include performances by Giovanni Ravelo, Ian Kent, Jessica Pescatore, Annabelle Bowman, Sephyra Clerc, Gayathri Pratha, Bridget Ryan, JCWK Dance Lab, and Koy Withers.

​The company is excited to host artists of all backgrounds, providing the opportunity to influence cultural or racial change in society, speak their truth, and advance efforts to create equity in the arts.

Tickets are $30 for general seating or to watch virtually. Tickets are available for purchase online.  Performance times are Friday, August 16, 2024 at 7:00pm Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 4:00pm; and Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 3:00pm. Mill Ballet is located at 46 N Sugan Road in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

The Roxey Ballet began in 1995 as the Hunterdon Youth Ballet when professional dancers, Mark and Melissa Roxey, brought world-class professional dance training and performance opportunities to Hunterdon County, New Jersey and Bucks  County, Pennsylvania. Mark and Melissa both had distinguished careers with American dance companies including The Joffrey Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, and Dayton Ballet, among  others.

As the regional youth ballet company began to grow, the trustees of the Hunterdon County Youth Ballet changed its name to The Roxey Ballet Company, Inc to reflect its clear direction and development into an outstanding touring professional dance company with a superb roster of internationally recognized artists from all over the world. Today audiences enjoy more than 70 repertory works and a wide range of  full-length ballets.

The company has performed extensively around the country including New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington DC for the 2008 Inauguration of President Obama. The company is currently experiencing  a major transition in its life cycle and is committed to procuring high-quality artists and original repertory works from emerging and established choreographers.

The Roxey Ballet's typical season includes performances from September through June of each year, including a Fall main-stage concert, the holiday classic production of The Nutcracker, a Winter event, and Children's Classic Stories spring productions. The remainder of the season is spent conducting a variety of services and concerts, from  educational performances, workshops, and residencies, to master classes  and touring.

The Mill Ballet School is the official school of Roxey Ballet.