In April we will also be returning to Chase Street Elementary School in Panorama City for a Professional Development series called "Using Specific Cultural Dances". It's in the form of a Teacher/Teaching Artist Collaboration, where we work with a teacher and her class on a dance 3 times, and then she teaches it to the other teachers in her grade level. The ultimate goal is an International Dance Day. As last year, we will be working with 5 teachers and their classes. Last year the dances were Mexican, Hawaiian, Israeli, Japanese, and an early Renaissance European dance. We are just selecting this years.This will be our fourth project with the school which is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. For more about our PD programs here are several pages.

Below is from one of our school performances.


We have worked with hundreds of schools in CA and sometimes we tour. In November we traveled to San Luis Obispo for a mini-school tour. The photo above is from that tour and the dance is The Tennis Dances. On our web site under education is information and photos about our school services including performances, workshops, and professional staff development. Programs and Repertory takes you to materials about our dances.

 

This scene is from our meeting in March, and this is from our break-outs to express what we have been going through in the last few months. Each group reported with words, a dance, or a dramatic scene. Need I say more-

There are now 62 members drawn from the Arts Community Partnership Network, and at the meeting we gave a short report on what the Big Survey filled out by most of the members found. A more in depth report and also a report from a ToP style gathering of information will be sent to the members after our next Steering Committee Meeting on April 2nd. If you are an ACPN member but not in this group you can still join by emailing [email protected] and signing the "Equity, Access, and Impact for Arts Education" statement. Here is the short version, also with signers.

 

This is far down our contents, but not the least important. This last year has been filled with urgent requests about the decimation of arts in our city. Unfortunately it is happening. The latest is that the main theaters that the Department of Cultural Affairs runs are on the chopping block and the people who work there have been given their 2-week notice. They include three that often have been in our 30-year history - Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, the Madrid Theatre, and the historic Warner Grand. To write a letter to your council person, or to the council person of any of the Art Centers or Theaters, please go to

http://www.artsforla.org/take_action/culturalcenters to take immediate action. I have tears in my eyes as I write this because what has been happening to the arts in our city in the last year is to the extent I have never been part of. Somewhere --is there a BIG PRIVATE FUNDING SOURCE or a FILM/MUSIC INDUSTRY company that can help by starting a Cultural Trust for Arts and Arts in Education in Los Angeles? Please speak up before it all disappears! Contact me.