FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – New York City (June 20, 2008)

House Dance International (HDI) holds Second Annual Dance Festival: July 10-12, 2008

House Dance International (“HDI”), the world’s premier urban dance festival, will host its second annual event in New York City on July 10-12, 2008. The festival is the first of its kind dedicated exclusively to house music culture and consists of dance competitions, workshops, film screenings and seminars designed to showcase the talents of the world’s house dance community.

Last year’s HDI event was attended by over 800 dancers and house music enthusiasts from around the globe, including from South Africa, Japan, London, Paris, Sweden and Taiwan. The organizers anticipate a greater turnout this year as house dance continues to proliferate worldwide as a popular form of urban dance and an alternative to the mainstream styles of hip-hop and b-boying. According to Santiago Freeman, Executive Director of the festival, “HDI represents an unprecedented exploration into the most sophisticated and spiritual of all urban dance forms: the art of dancing to house music.”

Contestants from around the globe will compete in five freestyle categories, as well as a choreography contest. Six thousand dollars in prizes will be awarded, in addition to the title of “World Champion” in each category. The freestyle categories include House Dance, Vogue, Hustle, Waacking and Experimental. As noted by Kim “RED” Hayes, Co-Producer of HDI, “the level of competition is extraordinary because HDI marks the first time that dancers from different countries have converged on New York City to compete in such a high stakes event. We are beginning to see movement vocabularies that have redefined the landscape of urban dance.”

The host / MC of HDI is Ejoe Wilson, one of the world’s most respected house dancers. The judges consist of Courtney Ffrench (Hustle), Hector Xtravaganza (Vogue), Akim Funk Buddha (Experimental), Voodoo Ray (House Dance). The DJ line-up includes DJ Spinna, DJ Sabine, CasaMena, Filsonik, Chip-Chop and Pang-Lo. Event organizers are Santiago Freeman, RED and Conrad Rochester.

For further information, please contact Santiago Freeman at santiago@dancewarrior.com

Web by Santiago Freeman for Freestyle Symmetry Designs | Track selections by DJ ARTIFAX | Photos by Morgan Cady-Lee

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