DANCE – THE NEXT GENERATION
ing t a r b Cele Years! 30 1
2020-2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Richard Johnson, Chair Patricia Golemme, Vice Chair Frank Martucci, President Pat Kenny, Treasurer Jonathan Strickland Coleman, Secretary Maureen Steiner, Governance Officer Peggy Abt Isabel Anchin Becker Ginger Cannon Bailey Paul Cantor Lynda Doery Julie Harris Phil Lombardo
Teresa Masterson Peter Miller Rosemary Oberndorf Audrey Robbins Micki Sellman Hillary Steele, Chair Emerita Jean Weiller
Jean Weidner Goldstein, Founder/Chair Emerita Sydney Goldstein, Board Chair Emerita Dr. Bart Price, Honorary Mark Famiglio, Honorary
2020-2021 ADVISORY COUNCIL Ginger Cannon Bailey, Trustee and Chair, Advisory Committee Maryann Armour Judy Cahn Sandra DeFeo Frances Fergusson Charles Huisking Robin Klein-Strauss Peter Kretzmer Karen Lichtig Christine Lieberman Richard March Joan Mathews
Donna Maytham Joel Morganroth Mercedita OConnor Marilynn Petrillo Rose Marie Proietti Richard Segall Jan Sirota Lois Stulberg Marcia Jean Taub David Welle Lisa Wicks
2020-2021 DNG STAFF Iain Webb Director
Joseph Volpe Executive Director
Margaret Barbieri Assistant Director
Christopher Hird, Education Director Lisa Townsend, DNG Program Director Dierdre Miles Burger Assistant Education Director Lauren Taylor, Education Administrator Sarah Krazit, Education Assistant
CONTENTS Mission & Vision
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Message from Leadership
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A Timeline of Growth & Success
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DNG Students
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DNG Facilities
8-9
DNG In Action
10-13
DNG Graduates
14-15
Thank you to Partners & Funders
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MISSION & VISION THE SARASOTA BALLET MISSON We enrich lives, captivate emotions, and strengthen community through the art of dance.
THE SARASOTA BALLET VISION To infuse our community with the highest quality and diversity of dance in America.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESS & INCLUSION In recognition of the importance of cultural diversity and to embrace all individuals in the beauty of dance, The Sarasota Ballet seeks to engage individuals of all languages, races, national origins, citizenships, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and ranges of ability.
DANCE – THE NEXT GENERATION
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Founded in 1990, DNG is designed to nurture the development of the entire individual through dance. With a focus on instilling discipline, heightening self-esteem, and strengthening a desire for higher education, Dance – The Next Generation has served the children in our community for thirty years.
A MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP Welcome to an overview of Dance – The Next Generation (DNG). The Sarasota Ballet celebrates the 30th Anniversary of DNG with great pride and hope for the future. For over 30 years, this program has supported youth in Sarasota through its extensive dance, mentorship, and achievement programs. Thousands of students and their families have become part of The Sarasota Ballet family through their participation in this award-winning program. Ensuring access to dance is a challenge to which we have committed since the inception of The Sarasota Ballet. Our education and community programs are central to the mission and vision of the organization. Our recently completed 2020 Strategic Plan places a high priority on expanding our community programs and developing partnerships with organizations that will reach and engage Sarasota’s many diverse communities. Dance – The Next Generation has a bright future. With goals to increase enrichment activities and field trips and to expand educational tutoring to the high school level, DNG will continue to support students in their emotional, academic, and achievement journey. Dance – The Next Generation touches the lives of youth in Sarasota and Manatee Counties and provides opportunities for deserving children to complete high school, continue to college and on to a variety of professional careers. You will hear from many of these talented young people throughout this publication. You will also see the depth and breadth of the program including dance instruction, mentorship programs, tutoring, and the beautiful facilities that our students call their home for ten years. We would like to thank all the volunteers, individuals, and institutions who have supported Dance – The Next Generation. DNG is completely free to the participants and relies entirely on contributed support to operate each year. As the program has grown, so has its following of loyal volunteers and supporters. Thank you from all of us at The Sarasota Ballet.
Iain Webb
Joseph Volpe
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30 YEARS OF MAKING A DIFF A Timeline of Growth and Success
First Lady Laura Bush presents DNG the Coming Up Taller Award
2002 Jean Weidner Goldstein founds DNG
1990
2006 Feature Article on DNG in Dancer Magazine
2001 Lisa Townsend is appointed Program Director
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FFERENCE
PBS Features DNG on WEDU Arts Plus
2014
Iain Webb expands DNG into a 10 year program
DNG receives new computers, audio visual equipment, and studio floors
2013
2020
2016 2013
DNG receives 3 vans for transporting students
DNG’s new Studios and Classrooms on Tallevast are completed
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DNG STUDENTS Shaped by national research, Dance – The Next Generation (DNG) begins in third grade and continues through grade twelve or graduation from high school. Each year, DNG enrolls between 35 and 45 new students in Grade 3, adding to an enrollment of approximately 160 students from Grade 3 to 12 annually. The average student will remain in the program for 10 years. Through an audition process, DNG staff work with teachers and school administrators to identify students who are “at risk” of dropping out of school. Nearly 100% of the students are from Title I schools.
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MEASURING SUCCESS DNG has an outstanding success rate. Over 1,100 students have been through the DNG program since its inception. Additionally, over 150 students have completed the program and have also graduated from high school, some even enlisting for military service, most having gone on to college. All DNG students who complete the program and graduate from high school are eligible to apply for dedicated DNG scholarships at The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee or State College of Florida. DNG alumni today include doctors, historians, teachers, a US Marine, and professional dancers.
DNG AND VIRTUAL LEARNING During the 2020-2021 season, due to COVID-19, Dance – The Next Generation did not open the program to new students. Current attendees are participating in a modified program to meet the health and safety concerns presented by COVID-19. 63 students in grades 4-8 are attending the program virtually. Tablets were provided to each participant, giving them the ability to connect from the safety of their homes. 22 students in grades 9-12 are participating in a hybrid model including in-person dance classes in the studio and virtual enrichment on their tablets at home. The program plans to welcome new students again in the fall of 2021.
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DNG STUDIOS The DNG facilities feature 3 fully equipped dance studios, 2 classrooms, a kitchen, and a computer lab. Students receive dance classes, educational support, enrichment opportunities, and mentoring from dedicated faculty and volunteers.
COMPUTER LAB
CLASSROOMS
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DANCE STUDIOS
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DNG IN ACTION Every weekday afternoon, students are picked up after school in The Sarasota Ballet’s DNG vans and transported to the DNG studios where they change into dance clothes and shoes provided for them at no charge. The children enjoy a healthy snack provided by our wonderful partner All Faiths Food Bank, supervised homework time with adult mentors, and at least an hour of dance instruction each day. To ensure there is no obstacle to participation, the DNG program is free to the students and their families. From transportation, dance instruction, dance clothing, dance shoes, mentoring, enrichment activities, and tickets to The Sarasota Ballet’s main-stage company performances, these resources are completely free to the participants.
DANCE AND ADDITIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPED Students receive instruction in ballet, jazz, elements of dance, and choreography in a progressive curriculum. Research has shown that studying dance benefits children’s lives by teaching the importance of discipline, effort, focus, time management and teamwork. 10
MENTORSHIP
Two afternoons a week, students participate in one hour of supervised homework time guided by an adult mentor with access to a state-of-the-art computer lab. This helps build consistent study habits beginning in third grade and continuing all the way through their senior year in high school. From sixth grade, students are also eligible to join Take Stock in Children’s mentorship program.
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ENRICHMENT
DNG brings in guest speakers such as The Child Protection Center and Manatee County Animal Services to cover life skills dealing with such issues as bullying and staying safe on the internet to “how to be a responsible pet owner.” A particularly exciting opportunity for the students this past year came through a partnership with the Junior League’s Kids in the Kitchen program.
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PERFORMANCE
All students have the excitement of performing in their annual performance, and some students have also performed with The Sarasota Ballet in John Ringling’s Circus Nutcracker. Families are also invited free of charge to experience The Sarasota Ballet in performance. 13
DNG GRADUATES Dr. Violet Laurey “DNG brings back beautiful memories of my childhood. For me DNG gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence. It also taught me discipline and the importance of commitment and perseverance. Looking back DNG had a true influence on the development of my character. I am forever grateful for being able to be a part of DNG. Activities such as ballet lessons can be an expensive extracurricular activity and a strain on a single parent household, but luckily this program was available to me. Today I’m a dentist here in Sarasota after spending 8 years at the University of Florida, and I’ll put it this way...my college admittance essay was based on ballet!”
Adrianne Ansley “Dance – The Next Generation is a program that I will be forever grateful for. At the age of 28 I still carry the beautiful essence of what DNG stands for—courage, confidence, determination, and kindness. Throughout the various life stages so far, those pillars I honestly can say have shaped who I am today. Again, I’m so thankful for the fantastic faculty and mentors who encouraged me and others to move towards our goals and aspirations.”
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Kris Powell “Honestly, I really don’t know where I would be without DNG. I was a very troubled child. I used to get in trouble a lot. I was actually kicked out of elementary school. I had no discipline. DNG gave me a lot. All of the qualities as a man that I have today are from DNG. And if it wasn’t for people like that, I don’t know where I would be. I definitely wouldn’t have made it to college, that’s for sure.”
DNG Graduates College and University Matriculation Ave Maria University Bard College Bethune-Cookman College Central Texas College Coker College Florida A & M University Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida State University Goucher College Jersey College of Nursing Keiser Career College Kennesaw State University Liberty University Loyola University Mercyhurst University Mountain State University
New World School of the Arts New York University Northwestern University Roosevelt University Santa Fe Community College State College of Florida Tallahassee Community College University of Central Florida University of Florida University of Maryland University of Miami University of North Florida University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee University of Tampa Valencia Community College 15
THANK YOU TO OUR DNG PARTNERS • All Faiths Food Bank • Child Protection Center • Junior League of Sarasota • Music Compound • Origami Air • Take Stock in Children Sarasota County A special thank you to Friends of The Sarasota Ballet for their support for Dance – The Next Generation. We would also like to thank Fred Doery and Vuttiphan Zedex Honea for their photography.
THANK YOU TO OUR DNG FUNDERS Annette J. Hagens Foundation Bank of America Client Foundation Bartlett Wealth Management Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Charles Henry Leach II Fund at Duquesne University Community Foundation of Sarasota County Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation Fay A. Schweim Memorial Children’s Dance Fund Florida Department of State Friends of The Sarasota Ballet Gulf Coast Community Foundation Gulf Coast Italian Culture Society Lela D. Jackson Foundation for the Arts Sarasota Ballet Endowment Fund for Dance – The Next Generation The Care Institute The Junior League of Sarasota Women’s Outreach Ministry, Church of the Redeemer Anonymous The Sarasota Ballet is grateful to over 150 individuals who support Dance – The Next Generation annually through leadership, generous contributions, and volunteerism. 16
JOIN US IN SUPPORTING DANCE – THE NEXT GENERATION: VOLUNTEER: Each season 25 people volunteer to assist with the DNG program. Volunteers assist with homework and provide mentoring and other support services to help students learn responsibility and gain the confidence needed to become well-rounded, productive, and involved members of our community. SUPPORT: Join over 150 individuals and institutions who support Dance – The Next Generation annually through generous contributions that help cover the program costs including teachers, studio space, dancewear, leotards, tights, and shoes, as well as academic resources for all students who join.
Help us sustain this important program. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DANCE – THE NEXT GENERATION PLEASE CONTACT: PROGRAM INFORMATION
Sara Robinson, Chief Advancement Officer (941)225-6504 srobinson@sarasotaballet.org
VOLUNTEER
Lisa Townsend, Program Director Dance – The Next Generation (941)225-6526 ltownsend@sarasotaballet.org
SUPPORT
Lauren Stroman, Development Officer (941)225-6510 lstroman@sarasotaballet.org
Charles Henry Leach II Fund at Duquesne University Lela D. Jackson Foundation for the Arts
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