Jane Powell To Host Career Transition's HEART & SOUL Awards Luncheon

Career Transition For Dancers will present The Third Annual "HEART & SOUL" Awards Luncheon Celebrating Dance on Broadway on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 11:30 am at Club Colette in Palm Beach, FL. Jane Powell legendary star of movies, stage and television will be the host. The Chairs are: Anka K. Palitz, Vicki Kellogg and Cheryl Gowdy. "So many have been so enthusiastic, agreeing to help Career Transition For Dancers and the Palm Beach Heart & Soul luncheon bring awareness of our very unique organization and the service we provide to their former dancers!" stated Ms. Palitz.

Although remembered as the star of 20 major MGM musicals, including the classics Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Royal Wedding co-starring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell has appeared in every entertainment medium and has won acclaim as a dramatic actress and comedienne. On Broadway she starred in Irene. On tour she broke house records in dozens of cities, starring in South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Brigadoon, The Boy Friend, Little Mary Sunshine, Oklahoma!, The Student Prince, I Do! I Do!, and The Most Happy Fella. Off-Broadway she co-starred with Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in After Play, and in Avow, for which she won unanimous rave reviews for her performance. She received the Drama-Logue Award for Same Time, Next Year. She co-starred in Stephen Sondheim's musical, Bounce, directed by Harold Prince. Jane Powell has done it all: films, television, theatre, radio, the concert stage, recordings, commercials (including a long stint as spokesperson for Polident throughout the 1990s), nightclubs, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and the lecture circuit. She has performed for five U.S. Presidents and the Queen of England. Her autobiography, The Girl Next Door and How She Grew, and her exercise video, Fight Back With Fitness, designed to help people with arthritis, was acclaimed hits. On the lecture circuit, her subjects include fitness, renewal and growth in the "golden years" and, of course, her life in Hollywood. She was honored by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs with the Secretary's Diamond Award for her "legacy of service to military personnel and veterans, especially for her continuous support of the VA's annual National Veterans Creative Arts Festival." The Diamond Award is the VA's highest honor to private citizens. The library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cited the Jane Powell Papers (photographs, recordings, scripts and home movies) as one of the Magnificent Collections in their most recent acquisitions.

The entertainment for the benefit luncheon will be provided by students from The Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts Dance Department (West Palm Beach, FL) which provides an outstanding arts-centered education, in concert with a strong academic program, for students with exceptional ability in communication arts, dance, music, theatre, digital media and visual arts. Former Joffrey Ballet dancer and Dean of dance, Jan Goetz, stated "What a wonderful opportunity for the dancers to participate in this event that is a celebration of dance on Broadway."

Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, has helped over 5,400 professional dancers in 47 states identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option. Since its founding in 1985, the organization has provided more than 51,000 hours (equivalent to over $5 million) of one-on-one career counseling and program services - at no cost - and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships for education, entrepreneurial grants, and certification programs. The organization also provides dancers with specialized services including transition seminars and workshops, peer support groups, resource centers, a toll-free national career counseling hotline, a website, and the National Career Network. The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers is located at 165 W 46 Street Suite 701 (at Broadway – the Actors' Equity Building) NYC 10036. The phone number is 212 764-0172 and the fax is 212 764-0343. In Los Angeles 5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 455, LA; 90036; 323 549-6660 and fax 323 549-6810. In Chicago at Hubbard Street Dance Center 1147 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607; 312 666-0234 and fax 312 455-8240. www.careertransition.org.

Tickets are $250 per person. Please make checks payable to: Career Transition For Dancers. For further information, call Rina Desai 212 764-0172 x233 rdesai@careertransition.org and for tickets please call 561 844-4477 or vickikelloggpb@aol.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos