2013-004 EDC-Arts -The Arts Center for Fal 2012 Art Grant Agreement $1,500

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The ArtsCenter: Ballet Folklorico Mexico School Shows 3 Montessori schools, and some local home-school groups and will also include a high-school Exceptional Children's class and a group of senior citizens from a nearby retirement community. One of the Orange County groups in the audience will be the 3rd grade from Central Elementary, who will be attending as part of The ArtsCenter's Arts In Education focus school partnership. Through this multi-year program, students at Central Elementary have received arts integration residencies each year over the course of five years. For this particular residency, the 3rd grade students will experience a visual arts residency to enhance their study of Mexican folklore in addition to attending this performance at The ArtsCenter. Having School Shows at The ArtsCenter not only expands the geographic reach of The ArtsCenter's educational programming but also enables students to make field trips to The ArtsCenter and to experience a performance. For some students, stepping into The ArtsCenter's theater may be the first time they have ever been in a professional performance space and their first time experiencing a live performance in a theater venue. To ensure accessibility of these opportunities, School Shows at The ArtsCenter are offered at an affordable cost($7/ticket) and some scholarships are available. For the Ballet Folklorico School Shows, more than 115 scholarships ($648 value) will be awarded to under-served youth to attend these shows at The ArtsCenter. In addition to making School Shows financially accessible for schools, it is also important to emphasize the educational connections.When available from the performer, The ArtsCenter provides teachers with a study guide for the performance.These guides help prepare students for the shows and provide ideas on ways for teachers to extend the experience in the classroom before and after the performance (see the enclosed Ballet Folklorico Mexico guide).Additionally, when marketing our School Show Series to teachers and the PTA Cultural Enrichment Committee representatives, we indicate the potential curriculum connections for each show, aligning them with areas in the NC Curriculum Standards. Through Ballet Folklorico's shows, students will learn about Mexican culture and the music and dance from different regions, connecting with the Music, Dance, World Languages, and Social Studies areas of the NC Curriculum (see enclosed list of NC Curriculum Connections). Not only will the students be exposed to and learn about Mexican folk music and dance traditions (linking with the Music and Dance curricula), but they will also gain deeper understanding about the relationship between communities and how groups of people are similar and different, connecting with various strands of the Social Studies curriculum. Additionally, the use of Spanish throughout the show will enhance the students' understanding of the language and the cultural and comparison goals of the World Languages curriculum. In addition to connecting with curricula, we anticipate the impact of Ballet Folklorico's visit to be multifold. One of the group's goals is to awaken a sense of culture within the students' own lives, creating interest and pride in their own cultural backgrounds and engendering a sense of respect for other cultures through their performances. These shows, with their attention to Mexican folk traditions and bilingual content, will hopefully connect with the growing population of Spanish-speaking students in our community of Mexican descent and encourage these students to embrace their own identity as a source of pride. Additionally, we hope the cultural awareness generated through these programs will have a beneficial impact on the participants from all backgrounds, as presenting artists from different cultures opens all students' eyes to welcoming and respecting those that may be different from themselves. Furthermore, students will learn that cultures and countries are not monolithic and that a wealth of differences exists among the many regions of Mexico, as well as among the many Spanish-speaking cultures of the world. For over 25 years, The ArtsCenter has served area youth and families in the community through performances and other arts-based educational experiences. This booking of Ballet Folklorico Mexico is similar in scope to many other artists' visits we coordinate multiple times each season, combining performances at The ArtsCenter and in area schools. Bringing Ballet Folklorico Mexico to the area will be a meaningful experience, as we hope it will not only resonate with under-served members of our community but it will also help to celebrate the many differences that make up our area.The ArtsCenter respectfully requests $1,500 in support from the Orange County Arts Commission to make this project possible.