Dance Discovery camp gives at-risk students chance to explore arts
Most people know the Nevada Ballet Theatre for its performances at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. But the company is busy behind the scenes as well with its education and outreach team.
Throughout the school year, NBT's Education & Outreach Program provides 28 weeks of in-school dance instruction through its GO-MOVE-DANCE Program. The program targets 17 elementary schools where half or more of the student population is enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. Students displaying a talent for dance are awarded a scholarship to NBT's Dance Discovery Program.
During summer break, about 55 students participate weekly in the Dance Discovery Camp, which started in 2014 and is held at NBT's Summerlin studios, 1651 Inner Circle Drive. Students are chosen based on a variety of criteria, such as attendance, school performance and their affinity for dance.
During its first year, the camp hosted three weeks of free dance instruction, movement and ballet history. For 2015, it was extended to four weeks and hosted nearly 100 students from among 16 at-risk schools.
On July 10, View visited the camp to watch the performance at the end of week one. Roughly 75 parents and family members were in attendance. Paradise resident Reletta Hill was among them. She said her daughter, Mary Wion, started in the program last year.
"It really boosted her grades in school," Hill said. "She was an A/B student, now she's an all-A student. It (dance) helped her focus."
North Las Vegas resident Melissa Bunker said she noticed her daughter, Madison, 12, had gained confidence since starting in the GO-MOVE-DANCE Program.
"It's helped her a lot with that aspect," Bunker said of the program. "She loves dance, and the teachers have been great."
For the July 10 performance, the dancers filed in and took their places before someone hit the music system, playing "Worth It" by Fifth Harmony. The kids showed off their choreography — moving in concert, dropping to the floor, turning and twisting to the music.
The next song, "Cheerleader" by OMI, garnered more practiced moves, including one girl finishing with a split and another being held aloft by other students. A ballet movement dance followed.
The audience caught every aspect with their iPhones, iPads and digital cameras.
The program was not just about dancing: It was followed by students taking the microphone and presenting the "homework" part of the summer camp — researching ballets and making a presentation board of the information. One student spoke about William Shakespeare's works, adding that Shakespeare had listed his profession as "actor" and that he lived to be only 52.
The presentations came with self-conscious giggles and forgotten information. Some students went beyond the presentation board to make their homework stand out, with one girl turning a cardboard box into a cutaway of "The Nutcracker" house. She spoke of the ballet's history and summarized the plot.
Jemoni Powe, 12, was one of only six boys in that week's camp. A student at Gilbert Magnet Elementary School in North Las Vegas, he got into the program last year and is so involved that he plans to make a career out of dance.
"Dance is something that keeps me going. It inspired me to progress to higher levels," he said. "I love contemporary dance because it's really emotional. Sometimes it's so emotional, it overwhelms you, but that inspired people when you do (get overcome)."
He credited the NBT teachers with being supportive and making the summer camp fun. Students who show an aptitude for dance can attend more than one week, and each week's dances are different.
In the summer camp, the kids get an hour of ballet, an hour of toning and stretching, 45 minutes of hip-hop dance, 45 minutes of jazz and a half-hour of dance history, followed by a half-hour for lunch. Lunch was provided through Three Square food bank.
Terane Comito is the director of education and outreach for NBT. She's been with the company for almost 20 years. She said the students did not have a favorite part of the camp.
"Since all the kids have already gone through our Dance Discovery Program and our Future Dance Program. They're dancers already," she said. "So, they really enjoy everything."
The students are split into groups: beginning, intermediate and advanced, depending on their level of accomplishment.
"I think it's extremely important for them to know where dance comes from," Comito said. "Not just what's popular in mainstream culture now."
"With this, they can move through all of these stages," said Michelle St. Angelo, public relations representative for NBT. "They can get into the academy, and then from the academy, maybe into our company or (another). So, the idea is to have that lifelong trajectory and not just hold camp for no reason."
The instruction portion focused on different aspects each week: well-known ballets, famous dancers, choreography, and ballet companies such as the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
It's easy to see what the children gain from the program, but what do the teachers get out of it?
"You know, I love these kids," Comito said. "I helped choose them for scholarships when they're only in third grade, and I watch them go all the way through the program. One I chose in second grade is currently a company member. So, for me, it's the follow-through. It’'s seeing that this program actually does change lives."
For more information, visit nevadaballet.org.
— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.
