Workshops and Matinees Summer '08

Call 828.252.6342 for reservations

During the summers of 2006 and 2008, Terpsicorps added community outreach activities to their summer schedule with great success. Dancer Joe Curry visited area community centers, teaching the children about dance and the choreographic process. These same kids then got the opportunity to see a performance at the Diana Wortham Theatre, including a question and answer period led by Curry. Their new point of reference greatly enriched the experience and many of them had a chance to actually join the dancers on stage in front of their peers.

This summer, the outreach activities expand to include a more comprehensive experience for the students. Two separate workshops will occur at area centers. The first will introduce the students to dance, with beginning classes focusing on creative movement and basic ballet vocabulary. The students will be invited, along with their parents and families, to attend a matinee performance at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Here they will see the movement they have been learning performed by some of the nation’s finest dancers.

The second session will go into the choreographic process itself. The students will create choreography with Curry and learn first hand the discipline and rewards involved in the rehearsal process. Then, they will have the chance to go back to the Diana Wortham, this time as performers with their parents and family coming to see them on stage.

These workshops will be offered to children from various day camps and “at risk” groups from low income neighborhoods. It is our hope to have this kick off a new year-round outreach program involving ballet classes free of charge at our new studio for students from this same demographic.