DANCE POWER is the unique collaborative
educational project sponsored by American Repertory
Ballet and the New
Brunswick Board of Education, with Gregory Hines
as its honorary national chair. DANCE POWER is the longest
running, uninterrupted arts/community partnership in
New Jersey, celebrating its 20th season in 2004-2005.
Since its founding, thousands of New Brunswick Public
School students have studied ballet through DANCE POWER.
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| New Brunswick Public School children learn dance in
two distinct settings: within their school environment
as a sequential introduction to dance in second and
third grades, and within the professional environment
of the American Repertory Ballet beginning in the fourth
grade. DANCE POWER'S mission states "every
child should have the opportunity to experience the
joy and discipline of dancing." |
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Performance experience enhances the
training of in-studio DANCE POWER students, who participate
in their annual performance in June. More advanced students
appear with American Repertory Ballet in Graham
Lustig's The Nutcracker and other professional
productions, and in the spring of 1999 performed at
a reception to honor the appointment of New Jersey Secretary
of State DeForest Soaries, held at the studios of New
Jersey Network in Trenton. Every DANCE POWER student
attends two American Repertory Ballet performances annually.
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Our Philosophy
In contrast to ballet schools which demand that a child’s
body conform to rigid expectations of technique, PBS
is known for nurturing the developing dancer in a safe
and progressive way. Our approach is to coach our students
in discovering for themselves how their bodies relate
to ballet technique, and then, as they mature, to help
them grow technically by “feeling the dancing” from
within. Our children’s classes go slowly and allow plenty
of time for imagination and exploration, even as the
children are mastering the basic concepts. For the older
student, we continue to emphasize understanding technique,
so that safe work habits, personal responsibility, and
concentration become second nature. The outcome of this
approach is that our students acquire the tools of mind
and body they will need not only to become professional
dancers or lifelong friends of the arts, but to foster
self esteem, self-discipline, and fitness that provide
a powerful edge in any future endeavor. |
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For more information on the ARB DANCE POWER Program,
contact Nicole LaFleur Amadeo at the New Brunswick studio
(732) 249-1254 x19.
In Memoriam
Gregory Hines
1946 - 2003 |
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For 18 years, Gregory Hines
served as the Honorary National Chairperson of the
Dance Power program, a partnership between American
Repertory
Ballet and the New Brunswick Board of Education. Through
this program, Mr. Hines brought the joy, beauty, artistry
and discipline of dance to the children of the New
Brunswick
Public Schools. His dedication, energy, warmth, and
passion will be deeply missed by all of those he touched
through his involvement in the DancePower program.
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| Gregory Hines, legendary star of film,
stage and TV, was DANCE POWER's National Honorary
Chair since its founding in 1986 and a formidable role
model. Mr. Hines appearance in the spring of 2001 heralded
his founding of an endowment at Rutgers University that
earmarks annual funds for DANCE POWER students graduating
from New Brunswick High School to attend the university. |
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