This year, Ballet Memphis, in conjunction with the Junior League of Memphis and ArtsMemphis, started Connections:Kids, a new program that will focus on healthy movement and nutritional education to combat the everyday media influences. Karl Condon, our Associate Artistic Director, writes about some of his outreach experience with Connections:Kids. I pulled up to the Whitehaven Community Center and immediately scouted for the rental truck, found the rear entrance, and scoped out the space. It was our third performance of Connection:Kids and “Yes!”, we were dancing in the gym! Boys were still playing some round-ball, but we could load-in shortly. We kicked out the floor and set up the large movie screen as several young ladies watched with interest, shyly dancing a jig and a jump so we could see, and I spoke to some young boys to ask if they would dance with us today, the answer being vehemently “no!”. I thought I had just found my first ‘volunteer’.
The clock hit the top of the hour and we were ready to perform. Although we had a small audience at first, it quickly grew with the wide open doors and corridors giving ample access, and the loud music garnering interest. Evan danced a wonderful minute-and-a-half solo to a witty cola commercial, and got the kid’s attention quickly. I strode into the space, iconic red labeled soda in hand, (I tell the kids I’m not picking on any particular brand), and called my young new friend up to join me. I handed him a box of sugar and a spoon, while I held a plastic baggy. I asked the audience to yell and stop his generous scoopings when they thought the sugar in the baggy equalled the sugar in the drink. “Six!” “No.” “Eight!” “No.” “TEN!!” “Well if it was a can, it’d be ten, but this was a larger bottle.” “Stop!”, came the final shout at twelve teaspoons full. Sure the teaspoons were generous, but it makes for an effective demonstration.
We danced our “Cola Montage”, the beautiful dancers clad all in white to “pop” under the dimmed lights and in front of the rear projected movies. The choreography breaks into a free-for-all with the ten professional dancers working into the audience for a spontaneous dance party to the music of Michael Jackson, on the Marley floor. It’s loud. It’s bordering on out of control. It’s just the way I like it. I kept the children in the space, taught them the choreography from the funny Jimmy Fallon commercial, and they performed for the company dancers. All of a sudden they weren’t so shy any more.
Our “Burger Montage” was next on the menu and the expected ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ when the dancers did the ‘splits’ were delightfully right on cue. We recited and learned the words to the Big Mac song, and shared a little interactive time, just a few things about exercise, play, good health, and being happy. Time was moving swiftly and we continued on to our final dance.
The kids are too young to remember the Saturday Morning Public Service Announcements I chose for the last montage. They are pithy and border on obnoxious, but are perfect for the dances and our message. Bryn performed her fouettes with aplomb and no one fell off of the seated grapevine lift in the ‘Square Dance’. The dancers introduced themselves, told where they were from and we all took a few questions from the children. Four of the professionals then broke the children into groups and taught them simple choreography which they performed for each other in front of the screen. I had a chance to mingle with the adults while everyone was so diligently working, accept some compliments and hopefully strengthen our relationship with the Center and its Director. The youngsters in the audience were given a homework assignment to create something for us, a song, dance, or commercial, to perform for us when we return. I can’t wait until the Spring!
No comments:
Post a Comment