For anyone who has steered away from dance performance because they believed it was difficult to understand or seemed unapproachable, Miami Dance Festival Founder Delma Iles believes the Miami Dance Festival 2014 will turn that thinking around.

The Miami Dance Festival celebrates its eleven edition in honor of dance as an art form while encouraging innovation and presenting a diverse palette of dance works in an array of genres and styles, according to Iles.

“Our goal is to showcase dance as an accessible art form," says Iles. “We hope to inspire and move our festivalgoers through the movement of our incredibly talented dancers and industry heroes.”

This year, the Festival will consist of eight events and one panel discussion with some of the nation’s most talented industry leaders. Iles, the founder and artistic director of Momentum Dance Company, says the festival is a combined effort of her dance company and other dance companies such as The PGK Dance Project, based in San Diego, Calif.

To kick off the festival on Wednesday, April 3, at 6 p.m., the Miami Dance Festival will present a Family Friendly Pop-Up Performance with the PGK Dance Project at the Midtown Shopping Center. Admission is free.

Other highlights include the Momentum Dance Company performing last year’s hit High Tide, choreographed by Iles. The jazzy, modern work demands high energy and stamina from Momentum’s dancers with fast footwork, unusual jumps and lifts as well as constant changes of direction. It premiered last February at the West Florida Dance Festival and made its Miami premiere on Momentum’s 2013 Spring Season at the Colony Theater.

Soloist Emily Noe is expanding her untitled work from last season to include a larger group of dancers, playing with ideas of ghosts and illusion. The exquisite music by Scriabin will be played by Alan Ngim, one of Iles’ colleagues at the Miami Dade College Department of Arts and Philosophy.

This year’s historic modern dance work is To the West, by modern dance pioneer Eleanor King. This powerful solo will be performed by Momentum veteran and principal dancer Barbie Freeman. It evokes a mountainous western landscape with high cliffs, and deep rivers. The human being is dwarfed and awed by its grandeur, but persists with a courageous pioneering spirit as she makes her way in this glorious new territory. Freeman is being coached by Dr. Andrea Seidel of FIU, who learned the work directly from its creator. King’s work is currently enjoying a renewed interest from dance writers and historians. The original piano score will also be played by guest artist Ngim.

MIAMI DANCE FESTIVAL 2014 PROGRAM & SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. – Family Friendly Pop-Up performance at Midtown Shopping Center by The PGK Dance Project. (Second Avenue at NE 36 Street, Miami) (Free Admission)

Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. – Momentum Dance Company with Guest Company, The PGK Dance Project. (Byron Carlyle Theater 500 71st Street, Miami Beach) (General Admission / $25 in advance / $30 day of show / $10 Students & Seniors / Group rates available / For advance tickets, visit to www.momentumdance.com or call 305.858.7002)

Momentum Spring Season 2014: Premiere of new works by Delma Iles and Emily Noe. Historic reconstruction of Eleanor King’s To the West. Plus High Tide and Untitled. Guest Artist, Dr. Alan Ngim, piano.

Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. (Free Admission) – The Poetry Project co-sponsored by the MDC Wolfson Department of Art and Philosophy (Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, 200 NE Second Avenue, Building 2, Building 6, Room 6100)

Momentum dancers invite the audience members to read poems by local poets that are written directly on to their bodies. The dancers’ movements show the audience the sequence of the poems. Poems curated by MDC faculty member Michael Hettich. This event is also part of the Department of Arts and Philosophy Arts and Letters Week activities.

Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m. – Afternoon of the Phoenix at Performing Art Network (PAN) Grand Re-Opening Celebration. (13146 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami) (Free Admission)

Afternoon of the Phoenix is a collage of performances in Dance, Music and Theater from some of South Florida’s finest performing artists and companies. Like the legendary Phoenix, this North Miami treasure again rises from the ashes of the fire that virtually destroyed their facilities. As dancers, musicians, actors and mimes entertain and inspire with samples of their work, food and drink will be provided by some of North Miami’s favorite restaurants.

Dance Now! Ensemble, Momentum Dance Company, Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, Kuyayky, Harmonic Motion, Children’s African Dance Company, Miami Urban Dance, Tango Axis and Voices United along with individual artists Nina Martin, Lela Lombardo, Pioneer Winter, Lara Tinari, Juan Maria Seller, Effy Polizogopoulus, Amy Deer, Lucian Williams and Eusebio Perez.

Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m. – Ritmo y Pasion, a World Premiere Flamenco event. (Performing Arts Network, 13146 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami) (General Admission / $20 in advance / $35 day of show / $10 Students & Seniors / For more information, call 305.899.7730)

Artists from the U.S, Latin America and Spain, led by the world renowned master teacher, choreographer, soloist and Artistic Director Ilisa Rosal, bring to this production the spellbinding and earthy power of Flamenco dance at its best. This production will incorporate live music, created and arranged by guitarists El Sivi and Alex Jordan, along with singer Almudena from Spain, in collaboration with company dancers and choreographers. Choreography will include collaboration with legendary flamenco soloist and choreographer, Manolete, Artistic Director of La Chumbera, International Flamenco School in Granada, Spain.

Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. – Panel Discussion on Dance Criticism with Artburst writers accompanied by informal performances. (Gables Public Library, 3225 Segovia Avenue, Coral Gables) (Free Admission / For more information, call 305.442.8706)

Wednesday, May 7 at 6:45 p.m.– Festival Film Night screening of Fame (Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Avenue, First Floor, Miami Beach) (Tickets: $12, Students & Seniors $10, Cinematheque Members and Miami Dance Festival Contributors $9 / For tickets, call 305.673.4567)

• Fame, starring Debbie Allen, tells the story of young performers studying at New York’s High School of the Performing Arts. Students from Miami’s own Fame school, New World School of the Arts, will be on hand to talk about their experiences and aspirations.

Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. – An Evening of Water Ballet (National Hotel pool deck, 1655 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) (Free Admission / For information, call 305.858.7002)

• Etude plus the premiere of a new water ballet.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.momentumdance.com.