$1o,000 Grant Funds Student Presentations of Moore Dance Project’s ‘Sacred Slave Stories’
Moore Dance Project's February 2011 regional tour of Sacred Slave Stories includes special presentations for 1,000 students from Volusia County Title I public schools. Student presentations are supported by a $10,000 grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
WINTER PARK, FL- November 23, 2010 -Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, today announced that The Center for Contemporary Dance, Inc. has been approved for a grant of $10,000 to support special presentations of Moore Dance Project’s ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ to 1,000 students from Volusia County Title I public schools. The Center for Contemporary Dance is one of 1,057 not-for-profit organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s first round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute $26.68 million to support projects nationwide.
An independent agency of the federal government, the National Endowment for the Arts advances artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “I continue to be impressed with the creative, innovative, and excellent projects brought forward by arts organizations across the country. Our grantees are not only furthering their art forms but also enhancing their neighborhoods by making them more vibrant, livable, and fun.”
Touring throughout Central Florida in February 2011 and developed under the artistic leadership of Dario J. Moore, Moore Dance Project’s ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ is a series of contemporary dance vignettes inspired by historic interviews with formerly-enslaved African Americans, as documented by the Federal Writers’ Project (1936-1938). Each vignette is accompanied by a pre-recorded excerpt from its corresponding slave narrative, performed by veteran film actor Harry Burney.
Activities supported by the National Endowment for the Arts include ten matinee performances for 1,000 Volusia County students from Title I public schools. Presented in partnership with the Museum of Florida Art, student presentations of ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ take place in the Museum’s 200-seat theatre; grant funds will primarily be used to transport students. Prior to attending performances, students will tour the Museum’s Legendary Florida Collection, an exhibit of realistic oil works by native born Florida artist Jackson Walker that bring to life incidents and personalities from over four hundred years of Florida history. Tours led by the Museum’s docents will draw attention to selected works related to African-American history. Participating schools will also be provided with pre- and post-event lesson plans, developed collaboratively with attending educators.
“Support from the National Endowment for the Arts allows us to assist Central Florida schools in giving students access to enriching arts programs that foster a well-rounded education in culture, history and sociology,” says Craig W. Johnson, Executive Director of The Center for Contemporary Dance. “Through this project,” explains Johnson, “we achieve three primary goals: encourage the use of art as a meaningful and productive tool for expressing and documenting one’s history, beliefs and experiences; provide access to and encourage future attendance at cultural events that validate the experiences of minority populations; and assist underserved schools in obtaining new and creative tools that educate and inspire students beyond what current limited school resources allow.”
To learn more about ‘Sacred Slave Stories,’ including details about project sponsorship and public presentations throughout Black History Month 2011, please visit www.TheCenterForDance.org or call (407) 695-8366.
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National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grant to The Center for Contemporary Dance
Moore Dance Project's February 2011 regional tour of Sacred Slave Stories includes special presentations for 1,000 students from Volusia County Title I public schools. Student presentations are supported by a $10,000 grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
WINTER PARK, FL- November 23, 2010 -Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, today announced that The Center for Contemporary Dance, Inc. has been approved for a grant of $10,000 to support special presentations of Moore Dance Project’s ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ to 1,000 students from Volusia County Title I public schools. The Center for Contemporary Dance is one of 1,057 not-for-profit organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s first round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute $26.68 million to support projects nationwide.
An independent agency of the federal government, the National Endowment for the Arts advances artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “I continue to be impressed with the creative, innovative, and excellent projects brought forward by arts organizations across the country. Our grantees are not only furthering their art forms but also enhancing their neighborhoods by making them more vibrant, livable, and fun.”
Touring throughout Central Florida in February 2011 and developed under the artistic leadership of Dario J. Moore, Moore Dance Project’s ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ is a series of contemporary dance vignettes inspired by historic interviews with formerly-enslaved African Americans, as documented by the Federal Writers’ Project (1936-1938). Each vignette is accompanied by a pre-recorded excerpt from its corresponding slave narrative, performed by veteran film actor Harry Burney.
Activities supported by the National Endowment for the Arts include ten matinee performances for 1,000 Volusia County students from Title I public schools. Presented in partnership with the Museum of Florida Art, student presentations of ‘Sacred Slave Stories’ take place in the Museum’s 200-seat theatre; grant funds will primarily be used to transport students. Prior to attending performances, students will tour the Museum’s Legendary Florida Collection, an exhibit of realistic oil works by native born Florida artist Jackson Walker that bring to life incidents and personalities from over four hundred years of Florida history. Tours led by the Museum’s docents will draw attention to selected works related to African-American history. Participating schools will also be provided with pre- and post-event lesson plans, developed collaboratively with attending educators.
“Support from the National Endowment for the Arts allows us to assist Central Florida schools in giving students access to enriching arts programs that foster a well-rounded education in culture, history and sociology,” says Craig W. Johnson, Executive Director of The Center for Contemporary Dance. “Through this project,” explains Johnson, “we achieve three primary goals: encourage the use of art as a meaningful and productive tool for expressing and documenting one’s history, beliefs and experiences; provide access to and encourage future attendance at cultural events that validate the experiences of minority populations; and assist underserved schools in obtaining new and creative tools that educate and inspire students beyond what current limited school resources allow.”
To learn more about ‘Sacred Slave Stories,’ including details about project sponsorship and public presentations throughout Black History Month 2011, please visit www.TheCenterForDance.org or call (407) 695-8366.
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