American Dance Festival kicks off Thursday

The American Dance Festival, an annual celebration of dance, music and art, kicks off Thursday with Doug Elkins and Friends at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

ADF Director Jodee Nimerichter said one of this year's highlights is a July 18 performance by Shen Wei Dance Arts, a cross-cultural dance company that combines elements of film, new media, theater and visual art, at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Instead of taking the stage, Shen Wei will be among the audience.

As always, the ADF offers children's matinees. This year, they have added a fourth matinee. On June 30, tickets for Hubbard Street 2's performance of "Harold and the Purple Crayon" at the DPAC will be $8 each. Following the show, head over to the American Tobacco Campus for Durham Dances Day, a free event featuring music, photos with the performers and African dance classes. The two-hour event is free to the community as well as those who attended the performance.

With such a wide range of performances included in the ADF, it can be hard to figure out which ones to attend. To help with that, the ADF has launched the Inside Insights video project, which gives previews of performances and commentary from scholars about the companies.