Dance St. Louis Extended Residency Program
During the 2007/2008 season, Dance St. Louis will offer two extended arts residencies, each of three to four weeks duration, to under-served middle school students at St. Louis schools and community centers. Three schools will be served in the fall, in connection with our November 2007 performance of Tango Buenos Aires, and two schools and two Boys and Girls Clubs will be served in the spring, in connection with our April 2008 performance by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Each residency will consist of three-four weeks’ study with artist-instructors of recognized stature, followed by attendance at a performance of the company in residence.
The 07/08 activities will serve as a pilot for an ongoing multi-year project. Each year, new classes of fifth and sixth graders will participate. The students who experience the pilot program as fifth or sixth graders will also participate as sixth, seventh and eighth graders in subsequent years, while new students will enter the project each year.
Instruction will include dance technique relating to the performing company in residence, e.g., Latin folk and social dances preceding the performance of Tango Buenos Aires, African-American folk and modern dance preceding Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Students will also become familiar with career opportunities, both on- and off-stage, in the professional dance world. Those who show talent and motivation will receive assistance in pursuing their interests further with local arts organizations.
Students will learn to place the dance forms into historical/cultural contexts and to critique dance performance using recognized aesthetic principles. The Alvin Ailey residency will follow their “Revelations” curriculum for middle school students. Culminating activities will include performances by the students and attendance by the students with their families at full-length performances of the performing companies in residence.
Student interest and achievement will be measured in the following ways:
- Pre- and Post-Surveys will measure students’ knowledge of and interest in dance performance, the cultures being studied, and career opportunities in the performing arts.
- Students will submit written reviews of the dance performance they attend, demonstrating their ability to use critical thinking skills and fine arts vocabulary.
- Student dance performance skills will be observed and assessed by dance professionals, using NSAE-based standards, at the beginning and the end of the residency.
PAST RESIDENCIES
Shapiro & Smith Dance
DanceBrazil
Doug Varone and Dancers
Noche Flamenca
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Pilobolus Too
Miami City Ballet
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater