S PA C R E I M A G I N E D
S PA C R E I M A G I N E D
THE LIBRARY IS OPEN!
W
SPAC UNVEILS ITS LEARNING LIBRARY, AN ONLINE RESOURCE PACKED WITH FREE ARTS EDUCATION CONTENT.
hen the COVID-19 crisis hit Saratoga Springs in mid-March— and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo locked the entire state down shortly after—it essentially ground all manner of life and culture in the area to a halt. Eventually, SPAC would be forced to cancel its entire 2020 season, but the arts institution didn’t stand by idle. Instead, it immediately swung into action, ramping up its arts education programming online by launching a series of initiatives under the umbrella of its innovative SPAC REIMAGINED campaign. “Since the stay-at-home order, we woke up every morning and said, ‘What could we do for the community?’” said SPAC’s President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol at the time. “What could we do to help people maintain hope—to share what SPAC is all about on a daily basis?” In early May, SPAC had an answer. The arts center unveiled its virtual Learning Library, a sprawling repository of free, original content, video lessons and arts education programming directed at the 120-plus partnering schools and local nonprofit organizations that would be missing out on its usual crush of in-person, educational activities. The library, which lives at spaclearninglibrary.org, is divided into six unique channels:
(from top) A printable coloring SPAC-tivity; a string quartet sing-a-long with the KASA Quartet from the Caroga Arts Collective; a step routine SPAC Break with Soul Steps Founder Maxine Lyle.
» Printable SPAC-tivities include coloring book-like pages such as a SPAC grounds maze, plus name-that-composer and hidden instruments games.
» Shared Resources features a plethora
(from top) Two scenes from Kitchen Floor Dance Classes with Broadway actors Dennis Moench and Eric Hatch; a SPAC Break that introduces viewers to a classical Indian dance; New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht leads a SPAC Break.
» SPAC Breaks are packed with short,
» Stories That Move features dancers from
introductory videos on everything from ballet dancing, taught by a dancer from the New York City Ballet; and “kitchen drumming,” by a member of the Fourth Wall Ensemble; to singing (and clapping!) along with the KASA Quartet from the Caroga Arts Collective. SPAC 2020
the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company teaching choreographed dances synced to spoken word short stories.
» Kitchen Floor Dance Class is a four-part series of instructional dance videos hosted by Broadway actors Dennis 18
of multi-video series from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; The Philadelphia Orchestra; and Skidmore College’s Dance to Success, an integrative movement program that works to bring highquality dance into the everyday routine of elementary students. Needless to say, the library has been a major hit with area teachers. “My teachers and I absolutely love the dance videos in SPAC’s new Learning Library,” says Deborah Keough, district music supervisor for the North Colonie School District. “They’re fabulous! The only sustainability that any arts organization has lies in its ability to connect with a young audience. SPAC shows us again that they know this well.”
Moench (Les Misérables), who also serves as SPAC’s director of education; and Eric Hatch (West Side Story).
» The Virtual Dance Lab is where participants can learn professional-level modern dances, courtesy of dancers from the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company; as well as the African American dance tradition known as “stepping,” via Soul Steps’ Founder Maxine Lyle. 19
spac.org
