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Jacobs Community Engagement Initiative Indiana University

The Ballet Outreach Project

Communities: Salem, Nashville

Launched: 18 classes, 2 performances

Engaged: 80 community participants, 40 audience members

Involved: 15 JSoM students, 2 JSoM faculty

Summary

The Ballet Outreach Project spent six weekends working within the communities of Salem and Nashville, Indiana. With support from the YMCA of both Washington and Brown County, the Ballet Outreach Project offered classes in creative movement, beginner ballet, and chair movement at each location. Ballet and creative movement classes targeted younger age groups, many who had limited or no prior exposure to ballet, while the chair movement class welcomed older participants with movement restrictions. Classes were led by IU Ballet faculty Sarah Wroth and Carla Korbes, with teaching assistance from students in the IU Ballet Program. In both Salem and Nashville, the project culminated in informative performances featuring a larger group of IU dancers at Salem Middle School and Brown County High School.
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“Being part of this outreach was an extremely memorable experience for me. It was amazing to be able to spread my love of ballet and empower through movement. The kids were great to work with; they were engaged and excited to learn which made my job easy. Seeing their progress in 3 shot weeks was incredible and I hope that I touched their lives as much as they touched mine!”
– Daisy Ye, IU Ballet Student and Project Teaching Assistant
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“Working with IU has been a great pleasure for our community. Through this partnership, we have been able to provide a service that was welcomed with open arms into our community. We have heard nothing but good things, and the want to bring this ballet workshop back to Washington County. The communication, marketing and entire process was easy and well planned. Thank you for working with us and helping us to better Washington County.”
– Chelsey Miller, Youth First Director (Washington County Family YMCA)
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JSoM Students Involved:

Alexandra Jones               Thomas Montgomery             Lily Leech                      Elizabeth Corsig

Daisy Ye                               Elaina da Fonte                         Andrew Rossi               Natalie Hedrick

Madison Buchholtz         Joaquin Ruiz                               Claire Donovan            Xander Visker

Eli Diersing                         Ariana Dickerson                      Sarah Pfeiffer

Others Involved:

Sarah Wroth                       Laurie Godfrey

Carla Korbes                      Sandra Pool

Chelsey Miller                    Kim Robinson

Shelli Smith                        Bridget Rinehimer

More on the Ballet Outreach Project:

 

Sarah Wroth and Carla Korbes are dedicated faculty members from the IU Ballet Department, offering impeccable dance expertise with long resumes of experience. Wroth danced professionally with the Boston Ballet Company and Korbes with New York City Ballet, among many other notable achievements in the world of dance and beyond. Wroth and Korbes were eager to work with the CRE and share their insights with a new community of dancers.

            “People are always asking when the program can come back” says Chelsey Miller, the Youth Fist Director at the Washington County YMCA. Noting this excitement and interest, Wroth has explored the importance of integrating rural engagement into the IU Ballet curriculum.

                                   At the end of the 3 week sessions in both Salem and Nashville, class participants had the chance to showcase what they learned for a live audience. Performances at Salem Middle School and Brown County High School included exercises and dance combinations from the class series, and additionally featured IU Ballet dancers demonstrating dances from their own college repertoire. Sarah Wroth and Carla Korbes acted as hosts during these performances, breaking down the ballet technique for the audience and contextualizing the performances.

The Salem Democrat:

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