Dance Alabama! Hits the Road for K-12 School Events

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For the second year, The University of Alabama student organization Dance Alabama! has joined forces with the Alabama State Council on the Arts as part of the Alabama Touring Artist Program.

Starting at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at Pleasant Grove Elementary in Heflin, dancers will travel to schools across the state to perform and interact with K-12 students.

A typical performance lasts about 30 minutes and is followed by a talkback. Students will learn dance technique and create a short dance of their own.

Lawrence Jackson, assistant professor of dance and program director, started the endeavor.

“It is imperative for artists to develop and maintain relationships throughout the communities for which they serve,” he said.

Many rural areas in Alabama have limited access to the arts, “so the goal of this project is to engage and educate these regions by awakening interest, excitement, imagination and creativity to those areas that have historically had limited exposure to the arts,” he said.

Additional dates are: 

Friday, Feb. 9:  1 p.m., Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Evergreen.

Friday, Feb. 16: 1 p.m., Jackson Steele Elementary, Hayneville.

Wednesday, March 7: 1:30 p.m., C.A. Donahoo Elementary, Gadsden.

Friday, March 23: 9 a.m., Repton Junior High School, Repton.

UA theatre and dance students address these issues with young students across the state, encouraging them to participate through both creation and as a responsive audience member. The tour consists of five dates spreading dance to schools all over the state. Follow the project on social media platforms.

For more information on the theatre and dance department, go to https://theatre.ua.edu/.