Orange County NC Website
Provide a brief <br />description of your <br />pre-pandemic core <br />arts-related <br />programming or <br />offerings. <br />NCYTE's primary programming consists of 3 areas: Educational <br />Performances, Community Shows and Outreach, and the North <br />Carolina Rhythm Tap Festiv al. NCYTE dancers are aged 8-18, and <br />trained under the artistic direction of Gene Medler and Caroline <br />Vance. The dancers rehearse ev ery Saturday from 1-4pm, using a <br />teach and be taught model, in which older dancers teach the younger <br />dancers. These dancers come from all ov er North Carolina. In a <br />normal year, NCYTE dancers trav el and perform at ov er 30 education <br />shows at schools and community performances throughout the <br />United States. These shows consist of a 45-50 minute performance <br />followed by a Q&A session focused on educating communities on the <br />rich history of tap dance. Many of the children they perform for liv e in <br />rural areas and hav e nev er been exposed to tap dancing as an <br />artform. As part of their community outreach and shows, NCYTE <br />performs at local festiv als, libraries and community centers, and <br />hav e taught master classes to children and adults all ov er the U.S. <br />Along with performances and outreach, NCYTE dancers v olunteer <br />and help organize the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festiv al, which is a <br />rhythm tap festiv al that is held ev ery year at the Ballet School of <br />Chapel Hill. Professional artists from around the world teach master <br />classes at this three-day festiv al. The goal of the festiv al is to <br />connect dancers in the southeastern US with tap's leading <br />innov ators. The festiv al draws ov er 300 v isitors to Chapel Hill ev ery <br />year. <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 />The Executiv e Order forced schools and performing v enues <br />throughout the country to close. NCYTE's annual Carolina Theatre <br />show, sev eral community performances, and the North Carolina <br />Rhythm Tap Festiv al were all cancelled. Although in-person ev ents <br />were cancelled, NCYTE was able to piv ot and launch an online <br />Rhythm Tap Festiv al that 180 people attended. Our v irtual festiv al <br />included 6 teaching artists, more than 35 classes for dancers at <br />v arying lev els, and an adv anced tap dancing residency. W e also held <br />our weekly rehearsals through Zoom, Facebook liv e, and Instagram <br />liv e so our dancers could continue to grow, build community, and <br />learn from each other. <br />Please explain the <br />impact of your <br />organization on the <br />Orange County <br />community in a <br />typical year. <br />In a typical year, NCYTE brings ov er 300 v isitors to Chapel Hill for our <br />3-day Rhythm Tap Festiv al. W e also perform at at Orange County <br />schools including Rashkis Elementary and Phillips Middle School <br />ev ery year. Two years ago, the ensemble performed at 10 Chapel <br />Hill/Carrboro City schools and held a community performance at the <br />Carrboro Artscenter. Throughout the year, NCYTE brings <br />professional tap dance artists, including Michelle Dorrance and <br />Elizabeth Burke, to Orange County to offer Master Classes to the <br />community. <br />COVID-19 IMPACT <br />DATA <br />This data is for the OCAC's informational purposes only and may or <br />may not be applicable to your organization depending on your <br />structure. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: B782BEF8-92DF-49A0-BFA8-69C536CAB861