Leaping
towards a brighter future
Rita
Moreno (left) and Judith Jamison (right) look over a volume of artwork
and poetry about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater created by students
at Oakland's Prescott and Marcus Foster Elementary Schools. Jamison,
artistic director of AAADT and Moreno, honorary spokesperson for AileyCamp,
participated in Cal Performances' February 20 press conference announcing
Summer 2002 AileyCamp on the UC Berkeley campus. Peg Skorpinski
photo
Berkeley will
host 'AileyCamp' for at-risk youth
25
February 2002
By D. Lyn Hunter,
Public Affairs
An acclaimed arts
program for at-risk youth will make its West Coast debut at Berkeley
this summer, performing arts legends Rita Moreno and Judith Jamison announced
last week at a campus press conference.
Seventy-five middle-school
children from Berkeley and Oakland will come to "AileyCamp"
– a six-week program that helps youth develop critical life skills
through instruction in ballet, modern, jazz and West African dance.
AileyCamp targets
at-risk students, ages 11 to 14, who show a potential to improve their
academic performance through engagement in the arts. Camp instructors
use dance to help improve students' self-esteem, discipline, creative
expression and critical thinking.
"This camp imposes
a sense of future for these children," said Moreno, a life-long
dancer who won an Oscar for her role in West Side Story. "It will
help them believe in their uniqueness and value."
Tuition for the camp
– funded by private and corporate donors – is free for participants.
Students receive instruction, breakfast and lunch, shoes, leotards and
field trips.
"This will enhance
their lives in ways that are too numerous to count," Moreno said.
"The investment is profound, but the returns are huge."
In addition to dance
instruction, students take writing, photography and studio art classes
and receive counseling in nutrition, conflict resolution, drug abuse
prevention, decision-making and goal setting.
The camp – co-sponsored
by Cal Performance and the Berkeley and Oakland Unified School Districts
– culminates with a grand performance Aug. 1 in Zellerbach Hall.
AileyCamp has already
been introduced, with great success, in six cities in the East and Midwest.
By the time the camp
is finished, "the spirit of expression has filled their brains and
hearts," said Jamison, artistic director of Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater. "This energy is often transferred to their families,
motivating them to make improvements in their lives as well.
"The camp shows
them the possibility of a positive future," she said. "It is
a gift that they will treasure for rest of their lives."
For additional information
about AileyCamp at Berkeley, call 510-642-7087.
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