Ballet Rox Art Empowering The Youth of Boston

Sept. 22, 2011 - PRLog -- DUDAMEL ORCHESTRA AND YOUTHROX DANCE COMPANY PRESENT COLLABORATIVE CONCERT OF MUSIC AND DANCE  



Boston's artistic future will take the stage when students from the Conservatory Lab Charter School and the YouthRox Dance Company perform in "Dance/Play," a collaborative concert of music and movement, on September 25, 5 p.m., at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.
The concert, made possible by a grant from the Hunt Alternatives Fund, will feature highlights from the repertoire of both groups, with some pieces performed separately, and other selections presented together. The young musicians from the Conservatory Lab's Dudamel Orchestra and the dancers from YouthRox, which is the student division of the professional dance company BalletRox, spent two weeks this summer learning the pieces they will perform and then meeting several times to rehearse together. Students from Brandeis University documented the experience, which can be viewed at http://elsistemaclcs.tumblr.com/.
 
"It was an opportunity for these young people to have a wonderful artistic experience during the summer," says Cecilia Soriano, the Conservatory Lab's director of development, communications and marketing, "doing what they love best and creating a program together which they can present to all of the people who supported them."

"I am thrilled that BalletRox is working and creating art with the Conservatory Lab Charter School," adds Anthony Williams, BalletRox' artistic director. "Dance, music and under-served children is an extraordinary combination that brings out the best in all of us. Hunt Alternatives Fund is providing an avenue for new donors to support young people in the arts."

Program Directors David Malek and Rebecca Levi are leading the Conservatory Lab's Dudamel Orchestra, consisting of 41 children in grades third through sixth. The students will perform "Ode to Joy" and "Amazing Grace" on their own, and then they will team up with the dancers of YouthRox to present two more pieces - "Dragon Hunter" and "My Funny Valentine."  

BalletRox company dancer and choreographer Janelle Gilchrist-Schmidt taught and rehearsed the group of student dancers, ages 9-15, assisted by Ilanga, director of scholarship and outreach. They will perform two pieces independent of the Dudamel Orchestra: "Alice in Wonderland," choreographed by Jane Allard, and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," from the ballet "Ben's Trumpet," choreographed by Gilchrist-Schmidt and Williams.
 
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and $15 for a family, and can be bought at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/195465. The Strand Theatre is wheelchair accessible.
  The core of BalletRox's programming is to provide disadvantaged students with full scholarships. For more information, call (617) 524-4381 or go to www.balletrox.org.
 Conservatory Lab Charter School is a public charter school where students reach the highest levels of academic and artistic achievement through project based, interdisciplinary learning. Incorporating the pedagogy and best practices of Expeditionary Learning Schools, the Learning Through Music curriculum together with the intensive orchestral training of El Sistema make it a unique and extraordinary site for learning. As a charter school, Conservatory Lab has the freedom to organize around a core mission, curriculum, theme and teaching method. Music is the central organizer at the school. For more information, call (617) 254-8904 or go to www.conservatorylab.org
Written By Amy Wong

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