Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts (www.usdan.com), the nationally acclaimed summer arts day camp once again named a "Best Camp for 2011" by TimeOutNY/Kids, will present its fifth annual Usdan Chess Challenge on Sunday September 25 at its specially designed Maurice B. Hexter Chess Center on Long Island. Open to grades K-12, the tournament is US Chess Federation-rated, and will be directed by Usdan Chess Instructors Brian Karen (a USCF and FIDE Expert) and Joel Salman (a USCF and FIDE Master).
Fees are $25 in advance, due by September 19; and $35 the day of the tournament. To register, call Usdan Center at (631) 643-7900 and ask for Kerry Discioarro, or email kdiscioarro@usdan.com. The tournament will be at the Maurice B. Hexter Chess Center on Usdan Center's magnificent 200-acre woodland campus, 185 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatley Heights, (Huntington) Long Island 11798.
On-site registration is from 10:15 to 10:45 AM the day of the tournament, and the first round is at 11 AM. There are three sections: High School (Grades 7 to 12), Elementary (Grades 4 to 6) and Primary (Grades K to 3). There will be trophies awarded to the top five in each section. Sections may be altered depending on enrollment. 1-1/2 point byes are available on request. The last round bye must be requested before round 3 and is irrevocable. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and there is no smoking.
Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey and Jane Monheit, has introduced the arts to more than 50,000 Tri-State Area children since its founding in 1968. The Center is open to all young people from age 6 to 18. Usdan's program features more than 40 four and seven-week programs in music, dance, theater, visual arts, writing, nature & ecology, and chess. No audition is needed for most programs - rather, admission is based on an expression of interest in the arts. Each summer, 1,600 students are transported to the Center in air-conditioned buses each day. One-third of Usdan's students attend on scholarship. Although the mission of the Center is for every child to establish a relationship with the arts, the unique stimulation of the Center has caused many to go on to arts careers. Alumni include members of Broadway shows and major music, theater, and dance ensembles such as the Boston Pops and the New York City Ballet.
In addition to its regular programs, Usdan offers special opportunities for advanced high school- age performing and visual artists. These include Music Staff Internships, a Summer Ballet Intensive, and a program of immersion in the visual arts and college preparation for selected high school art students. It is called Usdan's Visual Arts Portfolio Preparation Track. Usdan Center is an agency of the UJA-Federation of New York.
For information on Usdan Center, call (631) 643-7900, write to info@usdan.com, or visit Usdan's newly-expanded web site, www.usdan.com.
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