The City of Akron will continue its 33 year tradition of presenting free dance performances in the parks during the summer and honoring the legacy of the founding artistic director of Ohio Ballet, Heinz Poll.

Mayor Don Plusquellic has announced that the City will sponsor for a second year, The Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival - - four consecutive weekends of ballet featuring four professional dance companies: Akron’s Ballet Theatre of Ohio, the GroundWorks Dancetheater, Verb Ballets of northeast Ohio, and Company C Contemporary Ballet, from the Bay Area of San Francisco, California.

"This year the Festival continues to present exquisite professional companies from Northeast Ohio," said Festival Director Jane Startzman, a former dancer with Ohio Ballet. "Company C is another outstanding guest company with national recognition."

The first Poll Festival in 2007 featured Ballet Met from Columbus and was initiated by Mayor Plusquellic that year, in response to the demise of Ohio Ballet, which gave its final performance August 6, 2006 at Goodyear Metropolitan Park. A committee of dance and education professionals, with local foundations that was convened by the Mayor examined options for continuing free outdoor summer performances that is unique among American cities and dates to 1975.

"Akron’s most important link to the international world of dance has been Heinz Poll," said Plusquellic. "Heinz made important contributions to Akron over a period of almost 40 years, and it is fitting that we remember his legacy - demanding the highest standards of dance."

The programs will be presented July 18 - August 9, and begin at 8:45pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, with a children’s program starting at 7:45pm each night:

July 18, 19 Company C at Goodyear Metro Park
July 25, 26 Verb Ballets at Hardesty Park (Akron’s Art Expo)
August 1, 2 Ballet Theatre of Ohio at Firestone Park
August 8, 9 groundworks Dance Theater at Glendale Cemetery

The University of Akron Dance Institute will present the children’s program on three of the four weekends, and Ballet Theatre of Ohio will present a children’s program August 1 & 2.

"I approached a number of high caliber professional dance companies from Ohio and around the nation," said Startzman. "In choosing Company C, we felt that the addition of a more traditional ballet company would round out the programs beautifully. They possess an impressive repertoire, and will present a stimulating and informative residency at the University of Akron while they are here."

Participating in the selection of the guest company was Neil Sapienza, professor of art, Acting School director, School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration at The University of Akron.

The German-born Heinz Poll came to Akron in 1967 and offered classes to promising students. In 1974, with lighting designer Thomas Skelton, he founded Akron’s first professional company, which eventually became Ohio Ballet. Poll died in April, 2006. His works are included in the summer repertoire.

"Besides creating a professional dance company of national stature and taking it to New York City for five seasons, Heinz Poll created this special summer experience," says Startzman. "Everyone told him that he was crazy, but he was accustomed to accomplishing what others thought impossible."

The Founding Steering Committee includes Sapienza, Akron Deputy Mayor for Administration Dave Lieberth, Christine Amer Mayer and Leslie Nelson of the GAR Foundation, and Heinz Poll’s legacy dancers: David Shimotakahara, founder and artistic director of /GroundWorks Dancetheater, who danced with Ohio Ballet from 1983 until 1998; Christine Meneer, artistic director of Ballet Theatre of Ohio, who as a young student, danced for Ohio Ballet’s first performances at Cascade Plaza in 1975; Dr. Margaret Carlson, executive director of Verb Ballets and former student of Poll’s who worked with the late choreographer in obtaining five of Poll’s works for Verb’s present repertoire; Lana Carroll Heylock, head of the Dance Institute at the University of Akron and also one of the original students and dancers of Ohio Ballet, and Startzman, director of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival who danced with Ohio Ballet from 1969 to 1989 and later served for 10 years as artistic administrator and company manager for Ohio Ballet.

In addition to the programs of dance performance, the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival will also include a free public lecture/demonstration program, "Demystifying Dance," which will be held on Thursday, July 17 at 11:30am at The University of Akron’s Albrecht Dance Studio in Guzetta Hall.

Master classes for advanced and pre-professional students will be conducted by each performing company every Saturday at 11:30am, July 19-August 9 in the Guzetta studios at a cost of $10/student. For more information about master classes, call 330.972.7948 or contact dance@uakron.edu.

Since 1975, the City of Akron has invested more than $1.6 million in summer performances of Ohio Ballet. This year’s festival is also supported by Akron Community Foundation, the GAR Foundation, and the John S. And James L. Knight Foundation.