Asbury Park Dance Festival

AP DANCE FESTIVAL (501c.3), better known as the Asbury Park Dance Festival, brings together world class professional dance artists to share their artistry with communities in New Jersey. The mission of The Asbury Park Dance Festival is to present dance and raise funds for arts education advocacy through a partnership with Arts Ed NJ. Together, we want to ensure that the next generation of budding artists and arts-lovers have access to what they need to pursue their dreams of living a life in the arts or a life that is enriched and made full by the arts.

VJ Carbone, Michelle Fleet, Laura Halzack and Michael Trusnovec founded the Asbury Park Dance Festival in 2019. Fleet, Halzack and Trusnovec are all distinguished alumni of the internationally acclaimed Paul Taylor Dance Company and Carbone has worked as a film publicist with some of the most respected companies in Hollywood. Together they all share a passion for dance and a mutual appreciation for all art forms. It is their shared belief that the arts have the power to build community, break down barriers, spread joy, and enrich people’s lives.

Past festival performing artists have includes: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Limon Dance, Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Pilobolus, ABT and ABT Studio Co, NJ Ballet, Nimbus Dance, BalletX, Camille A Brown & Dancers, Parsons Dance,Taylor Stanley, Caleb Teicher, Ephrat Asherie, Jared Alexander, The Foreman Brothers and many more.

With generous support from John and Jody Arnhold and Monmouth Arts, APDF provides free workshop experiences for dancers of all ages, in a wide range of styles, led by accomplished artists/educators. We also provide annual tuition awards for young dancers in Monmouth County in line with our mission to inspire and support the next generation of dancers and dance lovers.

Learn more on our website and by joining our mailing list and following us on socials.