Registration is open for youth art classes at The Center for the Arts. Spring sessions start the first week in April. Students ages 8 to 14 can take part in Artmaking, Hip Hop, Theater Dance, and Aerial Arts. Classes of ten students or less meet once or twice a week at The Center located in downtown Grass Valley. Full and partial scholarships are available.
Participation in the arts engages children in learning, teaches collaboration, builds creative thinking and problem-solving skills, and boosts self-esteem. With school closures and distance learning, it is more important than ever for organizations like The Center to provide supplemental arts education for our youth. During the pandemic, The Center has offered many programs to support working families and children in the community. They continue to adapt and expand our Youth Arts Education programs to enrich the lives of students of all ages. The spring session includes new daytime classes to help fill the gap for students with alternating schedules.
New for spring is an Artmaking class with Lynlee Lyckberg, happening on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon, in the dance studio upstairs at The Center. Students will explore line, color, form, value and perspective through a sequential series of classes that introduce fundamental concepts in the practice of artmaking. Each class combines the lesson with a brief history of some of the artists and movements that best illustrate the principles being taught.
The Aerial class is taught by AirAligned Aerial Dance Group. Joe Simms and Sophie Wingard teach tricks and skills on aerial bungees, aerial silks, and aerial hoops. Fly, climb, and swing! Over the course of two months, students will learn the entertaining components of the aerial arts. Learning aerial skills is a fun way for kids to gain confidence, poise, and strength. Developed for students ages 8–14, beginner and intermediate classes meet twice a week from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and are taught on the Main Stage at The Center for the Arts. The intermediate class requires prior enrollment in an aerial class with AirAligned.
The Theater Dance class has been modified to meet current COVID-19 regulations. Students will focus on learning Broadway choreography. Theater Dance meets in the Off-Center Stage on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The class is taught by Dinah Smith, a local director, choreographer, actor, coach and certified teacher.
Also new for spring and new to The Center is a Wednesday afternoon Hip Hop Dance class with Chanthou Lam where students will explore ‘Conscious Hip-Hop’. The class meets on the Main Stage from 1:00 pm. To 2:30 p.m. It is a cultural study that will focus on a combination of three main elements in Hip Hop dancing – popping, locking, and basic break dancing, while fusing it with Dancehall and Funk. The class will explore themes surrounding social engagement and in social justice activism. Class begins with a warm-up, progresses through isolations, and ends with a combination that ties it all together. Students will learn to translate the rhythmic qualities of music into movement and learn to “follow the leader” through a variety of techniques. For Chanthou, it’s all about helping dancers find their comfort zone while encouraging individuality and confidence in movement.
The Center’s Youth Arts Education programs directly support the local school district, stepping in to provide a creative curriculum through the school year to support families struggling with reduced school schedules. The Center has always believed that the arts should be accessible for all, and remains dedicated to removing financial barriers and making programs available to 7,500 youth annually. Thanks to generous donors, they are able to offer $5,000 in scholarships
Registration is open for classes starting in April. Classes are capped at ten students to allow for physical distancing. For more information on classes or to register, please click here or call 530-274-8384. The box office is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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