McClendon Performing Arts Institute Announces Spring Show: CHANGES: An Artistic Depiction of Life

May 31, 2011 - PRLog -- McClendon Performing Arts Institute (MPAI) is presenting their 2011 spring show called Changes June 3-5 at the auditorium at Frederick Douglass High School. It is designed to take you on an emotional and artistic journey through life. Changes, delivered with music, ballet, tap and praise and worship dance performances, will feature the more than 125 trained MPAI performers taking their spellbound audience through an artistic depiction of life’s metamorphosis, including its challenges, joys, tribulations, and successes.

Changes will be performed June 3-5 at the auditorium at Frederick Douglass High School (225 Hamilton E. Holmes Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318) on Friday, 6/3 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, 6/4 at 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 6/15 at 5 p.m. Run time is approximately 2 hours. Open seating; arrive early for optimal seating.

Advanced general admission tickets are $10; $15 at the door. You can purchase tickets online at www.mcclendonarts.com. For more details, call McClendon Performing Arts Institute at 404/292-4920.

Inspired by watching her dancers grow and develop like exquisite butterflies, Denise McClendon, artistic director of the McClendon Performing Arts Institute (MPAI), is using Changes to recognize and honor life’s journey, including the transitions her graduating seniors are making to college life and beyond.

“When I reflected on the changes our students have gone through, especially our graduating seniors who have collectively been with MPAI for more than 10 years, I was moved to choreograph, with my talented team of instructors, a production that represents a metamorphosis,” said McClendon. “Our students, like everyone, go through changes in life in order to achieve their goals and dreams. I’ve been fortunate to watch thousands of our very own caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies over the years, and this production is designed to recognize their journey and celebrate it.”

“Dancing until you feel your lungs close in, until you feel your limbs slowly and painfully get heavier, until you feel your body temperature increase so drastically you begin to sway just a bit, maybe searching for air or because your head is a little light. This is when you endure. You learn to stay focused on your goal, persistently reaching for it.”

- Marnetia ReFour, MPAI and DeKalb School of the Arts graduate


This year, three of MPAI’s graduating seniors will be highlighted on stage. Morgan Baker who graduated from Shepherds Ridge Academy and will attend Ft. Valley State University, Kajarra Daily who graduated from Lakeside High School and will attend Georgia Southern University and major in chemistry, and Marnetia ReFour, who graduated from the DeKalb School of the Arts, will be heading to the University of Georgia to double major in political science and language.

“Dancing at MPAI has taught me that with dedication and hard work, I can do anything and anything is possible. That is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” said Daily. “MPAI has helped me lose a lot of weight which helped boost my confidence, turning me into a better dancer. And although I don't want to be a professional dancer, dancing at MPAI has given me once in a lifetime opportunities to take classes with top choreographers.”

Most only witness the finished product of a performance, the entertaining art form that is beautiful in all its variations, but as a dancer, ReFour says she also enjoys experiencing all of the aspects of putting on a performance. “As a dancer, I experience the ‘behind the scenes’ action. I undergo the long rehearsals, the sweat, the blood, the tears, and the toll it takes on a person mentally, physically and spiritually. MPAI does not merely teach the techniques, it teaches about so many lessons in life. Without a shadow of a doubt, dance has been my biggest life challenge and in it some of my most valuable lessons learned. MPAI will impact my future because I have learned about endurance, perseverance, commitment and discipline, just to name a few.”

Baker claims MPAI has transformed her into a determined young lady. “Miss Denise and the school have taught me that anything I believe I can achieve, and that I can be a leader and not a follower,” said Baker. “I believe that all the training and the development that I have received will benefit me in the long run because it has given me discipline and respect for many things in my life. It has also brought me even closer to God and to understand who he really was.”

“Like a butterfly, we want to explore and celebrate the transformations that go on at MPAI,” said Kari McClendon, assistant artistic director at MPAI. “So it is with excitement that we present the show Changes to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. We hope you will come and celebrate and transformations in these talented young people and yourselves.”

McClendon Performing Arts will also be offering a Summer Intensive Program for 7 year olds and older, and Summer Saturday for 3-7 year olds beginning June 13 to help students explore their artistic talents in ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, African, theater, and music. Call 404/292-4920 for more information or visit www.mcclendonarts.com.
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About the McClendon Performing Arts Institute
Operating for more than 30 years, and serving students throughout metro Atlanta, the McClendon Performing Arts Institute uses dance as a fountainhead in a holistically designed curriculum that incorporates dance, music and drama with motivational instruction, and emphasizes academic excellence as well as moral and ethical values.

In addition to its dance specialties for children and adults - classical ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and praise & worship, as well as music and drama lessons, McClendon provides academic tutoring with proven teaching techniques that has helped the Institute mold and develop kids and young adults, while simultaneously building character. The McClendon techniques have played a pivotal role in gaining its students acceptance into the nation's top dance programs such as Alvin Ailey's Dance Theatre at Fordham University and North Carolina School of the Arts, to name just a few. For more information about the McClendon Performing Arts Institute visit www.mcclendonarts.com or go to their Facebook page. Call 404/292-4920 for class information.