All-Stars students with Alison.
On November 10 (a few days after the official MTCD!), a group 15-20 students from the All-Stars Project of Dallas visited SMU’s campus for the second time to meet current students, watch an open dress rehearsal of SMU’s Division of Dance’s Fall Concert, and have a meaningful discussion with our department chair and one of the choreographers from the show about the works and the artistry behind the works.
The All-Stars Project of Dallas is an organization that provides students from underprivileged schools in Dallas with performance education and college preparation. We have coordinated with them several times in the past (we collaborated to create an empowering talent show with their students last semester) and we plan to maintain our relationship with them going forward. Fantastic!
We had 4 Movement Exchange members present, and the evening lasted around three hours. It was incredible to open the All-Stars’ students eyes to the power of dance performance and to pique their interest in obtaining a college degree. I can only hope that they gained a deeper appreciation for performance and are interested in expressing themselves through art too! I love to share my passion for dance with those who have never really been exposed to it, and based on the students’ reactions in our conversation after the show, they were deeply affected and felt inspired by the dance that we have been working so diligently to prepare for the past few months.
So inspiring! Thank you for sharing!