Now that we've successfully completed the first run of the year, the company is busy in all 3 studios preparing the contemporary pieces that will be presented in just a few short weeks. James Kudelka's There, Below will be a company premiere, and I had a chance to watch rehearsal and chat with stager Gerard Charles when he was visiting Tulsa.
The rehearsal footage is shot from stage right in Studio K on the fourth day of working on this ballet. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tulsa Ballet's Center for Dance Education: Leaps Ahead Outreach Program
As Tulsa Ballet is preparing to open a phenomenal 2010/2011 season of dance in a few weeks, we are also preparing our many arts education programs for the year. Each year, Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education coordinates and provides arts education outreach programs for thousands of Tulsa Public School students. We offer these programs at no cost and target them towards schools with a majority of students enrolled in the free-lunch program. (This statistic is used as an indicator by the school system to target youth from at-risk or underserved populations.)
Our leading program, Leaps Ahead, is a six-week program of in-studio ballet classes that introduces elementary school students to the physical conditioning of classical ballet and also presents ballet's training traditions of developing concentration skills, strengthening visual and aural memory, implementing verbal corrections, and learning to work with peers. Live musical accompaniment is provided by student pianists and all participating students in Leaps Ahead receive three vouchers for a Tulsa Ballet performance. In addition, at least 2 students in each Leaps Ahead session are identified by ballet instructors as having the desire and talent to continue dance studies. These students are awarded full scholarships to study in the Center for Dance Education, including tuition, costuming and uniforms, and season tickets for their families.
First offered in 2005, Leaps Ahead was originally created and supported through the generosity of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Since that time, Tulsa Ballet has also developed a partner program - Leaps In Motion – that acts as a traveling program to schools not in close proximity to Tulsa Ballet’s studios. The development and expansion of these programs is due to the leadership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the additional generosity of an incredible community of supporters including the Assistance League of Tulsa, The Bama Companies, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Sharna and Irvin Frank Foundation, Hispanic American Foundation, Hugon Family Foundation, Raymond and Bessie Kraivs Foundation, and Sherman E. Smith Family Charitable Foundation.
During the past 2009-2010 school year, Tulsa Ballet presented Leaps Ahead programs to nearly 200 students. In this time, Tulsa Ballet also began working with the University of Oklahoma Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations to study the impacts and outcomes of these programs. In its early research, the new evaluation methods showed that amongst the 2009-2010 participants:
- 100% gained a deeper appreciation for the arts
- 78% displayed more discipline in classroom activities
- 81% exhibited improved posture
Tulsa Ballet believes that the young people of our community deserve the benefits of quality arts education and we are extremely excited to be working with the University of Oklahoma Center of Applied Research to study the powerful impacts of these important programs. As we know that we belong to a community of committed arts education advocates, Tulsa Ballet looks forward to sharing additional results when the full report is released later this fall. In the meantime, we sincerely thank our supporters for working with us to empower our community’s youth through arts education!
Our leading program, Leaps Ahead, is a six-week program of in-studio ballet classes that introduces elementary school students to the physical conditioning of classical ballet and also presents ballet's training traditions of developing concentration skills, strengthening visual and aural memory, implementing verbal corrections, and learning to work with peers. Live musical accompaniment is provided by student pianists and all participating students in Leaps Ahead receive three vouchers for a Tulsa Ballet performance. In addition, at least 2 students in each Leaps Ahead session are identified by ballet instructors as having the desire and talent to continue dance studies. These students are awarded full scholarships to study in the Center for Dance Education, including tuition, costuming and uniforms, and season tickets for their families.
First offered in 2005, Leaps Ahead was originally created and supported through the generosity of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Since that time, Tulsa Ballet has also developed a partner program - Leaps In Motion – that acts as a traveling program to schools not in close proximity to Tulsa Ballet’s studios. The development and expansion of these programs is due to the leadership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the additional generosity of an incredible community of supporters including the Assistance League of Tulsa, The Bama Companies, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Sharna and Irvin Frank Foundation, Hispanic American Foundation, Hugon Family Foundation, Raymond and Bessie Kraivs Foundation, and Sherman E. Smith Family Charitable Foundation.
During the past 2009-2010 school year, Tulsa Ballet presented Leaps Ahead programs to nearly 200 students. In this time, Tulsa Ballet also began working with the University of Oklahoma Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations to study the impacts and outcomes of these programs. In its early research, the new evaluation methods showed that amongst the 2009-2010 participants:
- 100% gained a deeper appreciation for the arts
- 78% displayed more discipline in classroom activities
- 81% exhibited improved posture
Tulsa Ballet believes that the young people of our community deserve the benefits of quality arts education and we are extremely excited to be working with the University of Oklahoma Center of Applied Research to study the powerful impacts of these important programs. As we know that we belong to a community of committed arts education advocates, Tulsa Ballet looks forward to sharing additional results when the full report is released later this fall. In the meantime, we sincerely thank our supporters for working with us to empower our community’s youth through arts education!
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