News Release
April 12, 2006
Kim Olson And Sweet Edge Will Stage Culminating Dance Performance Thursday, April 20 At Skinner Middle School
Students at Skinner Middle School will finish two weeks of studying modern dance with a culminating performance for parents and the community on Thursday, April 20 from 6 - 7:00 p.m. in the school auditorium.
The performance follows two weeks of residency by dancer Kim Olson and Sweet Edge. The evening will include an opportunity for students to "teach" their parents a few moves.
The program is sponsored by Young Audiences of Colorado, a non-profit champion for arts education in Colorado schools and the MetLife Dance for Life initiative. The MetLife Dance for Life programs, creating multicultural dance residencies and learning workshops, are being implemented through 16 Young Audiences chapters and affiliates in partnership with public schools across the United States.
Young Audiences is the largest sponsor of artists in American public schools with a wide range of educational programs, connecting over 5,000 artists with schools. In the first year, the program reached over 23,000 students in 45 schools through more than 1,655 residency programs. In 2005-2006, the MetLife Dance for Life program will take place in Young Audiences chapters located in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.
"Thanks to MetLife Foundation's vision and commitment to arts-in-education, Dance for Life artists and classroom teachers are working in depth with these students so they experience the pure joy and physicality of dance," said Richard Bell, Executive Director of National Young Audiences.
Kim Olson has been the recipient of national Choreographic Fellowships and has received commissions through The Links Project, MA Dance, Ballet Nouveau, Naropa University, and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. She is a member of the multi-disciplinary artist's cooperative - Mariposa Collective. Olson holds a degree from Ohio State University and has toured internationally with the New York City based Stephen Petronio Company, performing in such events as Internationale Tanzwochen, Austria; Cannes Festival International de Danse, France; Internationale Gastspiele in der Akademie der Kuenste, Germany; The Carlton Festival, Brazil; and Dance America Series at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., among many others.
MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife to carry on the company's longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Recognizing the vital role the arts play in building communities and educating young people, MetLife Foundation contributes to arts and cultural organizations across the United States with an emphasis on increasing opportunities for young people, reaching broader audiences through inclusive programming, and making arts more accessible for all people. Believing that education can be greatly enhanced through arts programs, MetLife Foundation places great importance on the intrinsic value of the arts to enhance life, broaden young people's horizons, and encourage curiosity, creativity and learning. Each year over 1.5 million children from across the country participate in arts programs funded by the Foundation. For more information about MetLife Foundation and its programs, visit its web site www.metlife.org.
ABOUT YOUNG AUDIENCES OF COLORADO
The mission of Young Audiences of Colorado is "To strive to make the arts an essential part of the education of Colorado children." Incorporated in 1963, Young Audiences of Colorado is one of thirty-three Young Audiences chapters throughout the United States. Although united in a common goal to promote and provide arts education to school age children, each chapter operates in an autonomous fashion, developing programs for their own community or region. Young Audiences of Colorado is unique among Young Audiences chapters and other Colorado arts in education organizations in its evolving efforts to affect educational reform and policy through the use of professional artists in providing in-depth residency experiences and teacher-training opportunities. Young Audiences serves more than 250 different schools, more than 1,000 teachers and educators, and more than 130,000 Colorado school children each year. More than 150 professional artists comprise our roster. Programs And Services include the Artist in Residence Program, In-School and After School Workshops, Educational Performances, and the renowned teacher training program, the Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado.
For more information, visit www.youngaudiencescolorado.org or call Christina Kittelstad, Program Director, Young Audiences of Colorado, at 720-904-8890 ext.100, or email to: edperfs@youngaudiencescolorado.org.
Skinner Middle School is located at 3435 W. 40th Ave.