An alternative dance program and youth lead performance group for 11 – 14 year olds
Awesome Art in Motion will be accepting new members for our 2023/24 season through October 13th. Interested students will be invited to come try out a class before joining the group. Please be in touch to learn more or schedule a visit
Tuesdays, 4:15 – 6:40
Thursdays, 5:10 – 6:30
(Thursdays are optional, but strongly encouraged Sept – January and required Feb – May)
In addition to these weekly classes, students will participate in monthly gatherings on Saturday afternoons with all four of the classes that make up Awesome Art in Motion (AAIM) as well as optional seasonal field trips to local dance performances. The week of our spring performance, students should plan to participate in several extra afternoon rehearsals, along with a Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon performance.
Monthly AAIM gatherings will take place on the following dates:
Sept 23rd, 1 – 3pm
Oct 21st, 1 – 3pm. Performance outside of the Discovery Center, 2 – 3pm!
Nov 18th, 1 – 3pm
December 16th, family dance party and performance! 3 – 5pm at The Great Falls Discovery Center.
January 20th, 1 – 3pm
February 10th, 1 – 3pm
March 9th, 1 – 3pm
April 13th, 1 – 3pm
and May 18th 1 – 3pm
Tentative dates for Performance week at the Shea Theater!
Technical rehearsal, Tuesday May 28th, 3:30 – 6:30pm
Technical rehearsal, Wednesday May 29th, 3:30 – 5:00pm
Dress rehearsal, Thursday May 30th, 3:30 – 6:30pm
Performance, Saturday June 1st, 7:00pm
Dress rehearsal and performance, Sunday June 2nd, 10:00am – 4:30pm
There will be no classes on Thanksgiving, from December 25th – Jan 12th, Dec 26th – Jan 11th, February Vacation and Spring Vacation.
Who is this program for?
This is a great program for middle school aged kids who love to dance and create in community and are looking for a creative home outside of the traditional studio dance context. No previous dance studio experience is required to participate in this program. What is required is a love of dance and a willingness to show up each week as you are and take it from there.
Class description
Awesome Art in Motion is a place for kids to come together to be themselves and to learn to love and care for themselves and each other; with dance and the body as central to what we do together. This year the program includes four different classes for students ages 6 – 14. In addition to meeting weekly in their individual classes, students in Awesome Art in Motion come together as a full group once a month, building a very sweet, mixed-age creative community.
The Awesome Art in Motion curriculum weaves together improvisational dance, concert dance techniques, social dance, somatic movement, mindfulness, and student-led art making.
The curriculum is divided into the following units:
- How do YOU dance? What is Dance and Where do we Locate Ourselves?
- Dancing from the Inside Out: Mindful Movement and Somatic Body Education
- Dancing in Community, Dancing Together: Social Dance Practices
- Concert Dance Techniques and Dance Making
Each unit includes a creative project (often student choreography), and an opportunity to share that project with the wider community. This fall students will have the choice to participate in an outdoor, site specific performance in November. In December, after the conclusion of our social dance unit, we will gather will family and friends for a family dance party, along with a chance for students to share what they have been working on. In the winter months we will focus on concert dance technique and dance making skills, and starting in late February, each student will have the opportunity to dream up and direct their own dance for the stage; designing everything from the movement to the costumes, lighting and music.
Student participating in the Thursday class from September – January will have the opportunity to study with a variety of guest teachers in dance and movement forms including yoga, contact improvisation, hip hop, Latin dance and contemporary dance technique.
NEW THIS YEAR; our class will be visited by 2 guest choreographers, both alumni of the program, who will create original dance pieces to be performed during our Spring performance.
Payment
The cost for the full year of this program including Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday classes is a sliding scale of $120 – $360/month or $1200 – $3600/year). Payments may be made monthly, seasonally or in full.
For students who won’t be joining the Thursday class until February, the full cost of the program is $100 – $300/month or $1000 – $3000/year.
1 full Scholarship spot is reserved for this class. If you are interested in a scholarship, please proceed with the registration process and indicate you would like a scholarship on the registration form. Barter options may also be available.
