HIT Entertainment's Angelina Ballerina™ and Dizzy Feet Foundation Launch Public Service Announcements and Scholarship Programs to Promote Dance for Children

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- HIT Entertainment's Angelina Ballerina™ Stars of Tomorrow Program (AB Stars) and Dizzy Feet Foundation unveiled a Public Service Announcement campaign on November 18 starring Angelina Ballerina™ and Dizzy Feet founding members designed to encourage children's awareness of and enthusiasm for dance.  The initial two PSAs, positioned to encourage the aspirations of promising young dancers, feature Angelina Ballerina alongside Dizzy Feet founding members, including "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, director/producer Adam Shankman, and "Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba.  The AB Stars Program and Dizzy Feet Foundation also partnered to present the first scholarships to young dancers showing exceptional promise as they pursue their dancing dreams.

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The two 30-second PSAs feature Dizzy Feet board members in live action interacting with the CG animated Angelina Ballerina in her world at Camembert Academy.  The PSAs will be featured in an online campaign and social media campaign as well as kid-targeted web sites, including the official Angelina Ballerina web site  (www.angelinaballerina.com). In 2011, the PSAs will appear on DVDs  of popular HIT Entertainment properties,  Angelina Ballerina, Thomas & Friends™, Barney™ and Bob the Builder™. The Angelina Ballerina and Dizzy Feet Foundation PSAs debuted at a premiere event at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx.  

Through their continued effort to promote dance and access to dance, the Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow Program and Dizzy Feet Foundation also awarded scholarships at the November 18th event at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. The recently launched Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow campaign, which piloted at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, promotes the joys and benefits of dance for children.  Lythgoe, Angelina Ballerina, and representatives from HIT Entertainment were present at the event to make the scholarship presentations and debut the PSAs.

During the event, a national dance scholarship was awarded to Catherine Hurlin, a 14-year old dancer from New York who studies at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre (ABT).  Hurlin is an accomplished young dancer who will be dancing the role of Clara in ABT's new production of The Nutcracker, beginning this December. Two additional scholarships were announced to Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow students at local Boys & Girls Club branches, including the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, to assist them in advancing toward their dance dreams.

"Co-starring in a PSA with Angelina Ballerina in support of young people who truly embody the values of Dizzy Feet Foundation and Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow was truly a pleasure. We look forward to awarding dance scholarships to such deserving aspiring dancers," said Nigel Lythgoe, co-president of Dizzy Feet.

EJ Minor, Vice President, Marketing, HIT Entertainment said, "We are excited that the Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow program and our partnership with the Dizzy Feet Foundation is gaining momentum as we carry out these new initiatives. Angelina Ballerina is proud to stand beside the Dizzy Feet Foundation as we announce the PSAs and scholarships that call out the benefits of dance and support the students who are actively pursuing their dreams."

Related Links

Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow Program

Dizzy Feet Foundation

SOURCE HIT Entertainment