HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment's Angelina Ballerina™ And Dizzy Feet Foundation To Launch Public Service Announcements And Scholarship Programs To Promote Dance For Children

Angelina Ballerina to Star with Dizzy Feet's Founding Members, Nigel Lythgoe, Adam Shankman, and Carrie Ann Inaba, in PSAs Helping to Support Dance Education in the US

Dance Scholarships to be Granted to Aspiring American Ballet Theatre Dancer and Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow Students at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club on Thursday, November 18, at 4:30 PM

11/18/2010

New York, NY

This November, HIT Entertainment's Angelina Ballerina™ Stars of Tomorrow Program (AB Stars) and Dizzy Feet Foundation will unveil a Public Service Announcement campaign 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, will 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 will also partner to present the first scholarship to young dancers showing exceptional promise as they pursue their dancing dreams.

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 will debut at a premiere event at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx on November 18, 2010.

Through their continued effort to promote dance and access to dance, the Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow Program and Dizzy Feet Foundation will also award 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 will be present at the event to make the scholarship presentations and debut the PSAs.

During the event, one national dance scholarship will be 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 will be 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."

About Angelina Ballerina™
Angelina Ballerina, a beloved publishing property for close to three decades, is a little star with big dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. This feisty little mouse works hard to reach her goals and along the way, always learns from her mistakes. When little girls share in Angelina's experiences, they're inspired to go after their big dreams too. In addition to the critically acclaimed story books created by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig, Angelina Ballerina dances her way into the hearts of young girls on PBS KIDS® in the CG-animated series, Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps. Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps is a production of HIT Entertainment and THIRTEEN for WNET.ORG in association with Nickelodeon U.K. Limited. For more information about Angelina Ballerina, please visit www.angelinaballerina.com.

About the Dizzy Feet Foundation
Dizzy Feet Foundation was founded in 2009 by producer Nigel Lythgoe, director Adam Shankman, "Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba and actress Katie Holmes, among others, to help underprivileged young people realize their dream of becoming professional dancers and to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the United States. Dizzy Feet Foundation also sponsors, funds, and offers community-based dance programs that expose kids in low-income areas to the lifelong benefits of dance education. Dizzy Feet Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment's Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™, Timmy Time™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS Sprout®. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

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