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Provide a brief <br />description of your <br />pre-pandemic core <br />arts-related <br />programming or <br />offerings. <br />Our core programs consist of 16-session in-school residencies at 13 <br />schools across Wake, Durham, and Orange counties, an afterschool <br />partnership with South East Raleigh Promise, and our Saturday LEAP <br />(Learning Excellence and Perseverance) program for dancers who <br />want to continue their learning outside of school. Every child in the <br />fourth grade participates in the program regardless of ability or <br />socio-economic status. <br />Arts and education are key parts of the solutions to overcoming <br />inequality. When children are given the same support and tools for <br />growth and achievement, are taught to honor diversity, and are given <br />models of integrity and inclusion to look up to, they not only discover <br />their own potential, they also discover and respect the potential of <br />those around them. This is a critical part of the experience we strive <br />to bring to every student in our program. <br />Our 16-week residencies involve the entire school community, <br />supported by classroom teachers through collaboration, curriculum <br />tie-ins and connections to additional art and music projects that <br />enhance the year-end performance. <br />The residency begins with students learning the fundamentals of <br />dance and developing the mental focus that is required to be a <br />performer. As the children progress in their abilities, they are taught <br />more complicated choreography. Students listen and count music, <br />and are instructed in physical activities and games using the specific <br />pedagogy we use, which promotes self-discipline and teamwork. In <br />the final portion of the year, they learn how dance can be used to tell <br />a story and share information. <br />Each class and afterschool program works on a topic specific to the <br />theme and learns choreography for their class piece. Last year’s <br />theme was “Into the Wild,” which aligned with fourth grade science <br />standards and taught children about migration, animal adaptations, <br />extinction, hibernation, and conservation. <br />North Carolina’s <br />“stay at home” order <br />(Executive Order <br />117) had a profound <br />impact on the arts <br />sector. Describe the <br />specific steps your <br />organization took to <br />comply with <br />Executive Order 117. <br />Due to Executive Order 117, schools were closed to in-person <br />instruction. In order to continue to provide our program to our <br />students, we pivoted and began teaching remotely. We provided live <br />online instruction through the use of Google Meet and Zoom. We also <br />offered asynchronous curriculum through pre-recorded learning <br />modules which were available on our website and social media <br />channels. Along with completing our residencies that were currently <br />in progress when the "stay at home" order was issued, we also held <br />virtual teacher trainings and a virtual summer camp for students <br />across the Triangle. The negative financial impact we faced during <br />that time was significant, but our team was incredibly resilient and <br />adapted quickly to the new teaching environment. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 2395B7CC-F189-4429-9779-F51C5289A027