View Press Release
Richmond Ballet's Minds In Motion Program is on the Move
9/29/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2008
Media Contact: Aaron Sutten
(804) 344-0906 x244
asutten@richmondballet.com
RICHMOND BALLET’S MINDS IN MOTION PROGRAM IS ON THE MOVE
Now in its 14th year, Richmond
Ballet’s acclaimed Minds In Motion
education and outreach program continues its expansion, not only increasing the
number of schools served in the Richmond area, but also significantly expanding
its satellite programs in Roanoke, Martinsville and Charlottesville.
Modeled after the National Dance
Institute, begun in 1976 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer
Jacques d’Amboise to introduce dance to students in New York City schools, Minds In Motion (MIM) is a year-long
program that teaches fourth-grade students discipline, dedication and
self-awareness through movement classes that challenge them mentally and
physically. The MIM teachers work with school personnel throughout the year to link
the program to the fourth-grade curriculum, and the program culminates in a
year-end performance that demonstrates what the students have learned through
both words and movement.
During the 2007-08 school year, nineteen
Richmond area
schools participated in the MIM
program. For the 2008-09 school year,
that number will increase to twenty-two. In Martinsville
the program will expand from three to four schools participating, while in Roanoke, where only one
school participated in 2007-08, five schools will host the Minds In Motion full-year program.
In Charlottesville,
Minds In Motion has conducted
two-week residencies for the past two years; now all six public elementary
schools will participate in the full-year program during the 2008-09 year. In addition, Cluster Springs Elementary in South
Boston will join Penn Elementary in Woodbridge
in hosting MIM two-week
residencies. A two-week residency in Covington is also being
discussed.
Brett Bonda, Minds In Motion and Education Director for Richmond Ballet, commented
regarding the expansion: “This is a very exciting year. We are delighted with
the tremendous growth that we are seeing in the program, and we are grateful
for the opportunity to reach so many more kids, both in Richmond and throughout the state. We are thrilled about the potential of this
continued expansion to have a positive impact on hundreds of schoolchildren
across the Commonwealth
of Virginia.”
Bonda also announced that the MIM faculty has grown along with the
program. Bonda was the only instructor
the first year of the program; he was later joined by Katherine Smothers and
Cat Studdard, who now assist Bonda in directing the program as well as
teaching. Last year, there were nine MIM
faculty members teaching in 23 schools, along with seven accompanists who
provided live music for the classes. This year, 12 MIM faculty members and nine accompanists will conduct 115 classes
in 37 schools each week, reaching a total of approximately 2,800 students
across the Commonwealth ---nearly 1,150 more students than in 2007-08.
Expansion for Minds In Motion this year has been made
possible in part by Altria Group, The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia, Genworth Foundation, the
Robins Foundation, the Virginia General Assembly (through The State Ballet of
Virginia Education and Touring Initiative) and Wachovia Foundation, as well as
other generous supporters.
###
Richmond Ballet, The State Ballet of
Virginia, is dedicated to the education, promotion, preservation and continuing
evolution of the art form of ballet. Richmond Ballet strives
to keep meaningful works of dance alive and to produce and foster new works
that remain true to these values. Now in
its 25th professional season, Richmond
Ballet's mission is to “awaken and uplift the human spirit, both for audiences
and artists.”
***
For further press information contact:
Aaron Sutten, Director of Marketing and
Communications
EMAIL: asutten@richmondballet.com; CALL:
(804) 344-0906 x244