2019-694-E Arts - NCAIA arts grant

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DocuSign Envelope ID:CDB6E7B1-56AF-4CA1-97EO-1BEOFD7D9DBA Location Description This project seeks funding for NC Arts in Action's program at Mel and Zora Rashkis Elementary School, located at 601 Meadowmont Lane in Chapel Hill. The NC AIA in-school residency is an inclusive program that provides all children, regardless of talent, abilities, or special needs, the opportunity to dance and perform. In NC AIA, children with disabilities and non-disabled peers dance in partnership, with the goals of maximizing participation and challenging every dancer to achieve their best through teamwork, creativity, empathy, and discovery. Many dance steps in NC AIA have been adapted to work for all children. For example, if a child is in a wheelchair, instead of doing a plie in eight counts (a movement in which a dancer bends the knees and straightens them again), he or she can roll the chair forward and back in eight counts. Other techniques the program uses for working with children of all abilities successfully include: visual aids, taking time to allow for solo demonstration, breaking the class into smaller groups, and improvisation. Every fourth grader at Rashkis, including those who have limited proficiency in English, those receiving special education services, and those with physical limitations, will participate in the residency. To make the program accessible to as wide an audience as possible, fourth graders will present two performances, one during the school day for their peers, and one in the evening for the community. All the sessions, including the performances, will take place at the school's gym.