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Show Students Enjoy Ballet West PANGUITCH Ballet West dancers visited Garfield County elementary schools on Monday and Tuesday, Apr. 9-10, to perform "Ballet West for Children," an award-winning educational program. Students from Panguitch, Bryce Valley, Antimony, Escalante and Boulder Elementary schools were all introduced to the art form of ballet bal-let through the informative presentation. presen-tation. "Ballet West for Children" is an assembly presented by five company com-pany dancers, a narrator, and a young dance student from the Ballet West Conservatory. This small troupe of dancers travels to each Utah public elementary school every five to six years, performing free of charge for students and faculty. fac-ulty. This rotation allows for all (See BALLET WEST on page 4-A) BALLET WEST From Front Page elementary school children in Utah to experience at least one Ballet West presentation during his or her grade school years. "Arts in education is nationally recognized to enrich and broaden the academic achievements of students," said Peter Christie, Ballet West's director of educational programs. "We believe that making the art form more accessible and personal for children, demystifies the art form without taking away its charm." The current "Ballet West for Children" presentation is titled Bal-. Bal-. let and The Nutcracker. The cast followed a set script that included a brief history of ballet written for young audiences and a choreo- (See BALLET WEST on page 5-A) BALLET WEST From Page 4-A graphed example of a daily class. Also included were personal explanations expla-nations from the professionals about basic ballet positions and technique, good posture and health, music appreciation, and career dedication. dedi-cation. The elementary school students were then invited to demonstrate how everyday movements are similar simi-lar in rhythm, shape and dynamics to ballet steps. Next, the dancers, dressed as characters from The Nutcracker, Nut-cracker, demonstrated the techniques of pantomine, pointe work, use of a prop, and pas de deux (two dancers partnering together). At the conclusion con-clusion of the program, the audience audi-ence enjoys a miniature performance perform-ance of The Nutcracker. The "Ballet West for Children" program is provided to the public school system free of charge because be-cause of funding from the Utah State Legislature and Salt Lake County's Zoo, Arts and Parks Program. Pro-gram. The funds make it possible for the program to visit both Wasatch Front and rural school districts, dis-tricts, and some schools with enrollment en-rollment as low as 26. Each year, the educational service exposes approximately ap-proximately 57,000 children to the .art of ballet.. |