Grant enables student dance classes

BANGOR – Thanks to the generosity of Machias Savings Bank and Partnerships for Healthy Communities, Robinson Ballet and the School of Robinson Ballet’s educational outreach program was able to offer free dance workshops to four schools in Penobscot and Washington counties.

The goal of Robinson Ballet’s educational outreach is to expose children, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to the art of dance and to promote health and well-being through dance as a physical activity.

Workshops were held:

. In December at Vine Street School in Bangor with third-graders.

. In January at Abraham Lincoln School in Bangor with second-graders.

. In February at Rose M. Gaffney School in Machias with prekindergartners through fourth-graders.

. In February at the Elm Street School in East Machias with prekindergartners through fifth-graders.

Workshops started with a warm-up of simple classical ballet movements and positions beginning with ballet, as it is the oldest classical dance form with a structure for building strength, balance and coordination.

They continued with simple combinations moving through space in different directions and patterns, isolations and body movement awareness. More contemporary music and different rhythms were used with focus on concentration and self-control as well as the use of dance as cross-training for other physical activities.

The program was well-received by both teachers and students. It was a good indicator that the workshops were successful when students left the room, some slightly out of breath, with smiles on their faces, laughing and commenting on how much fun they had.

The School of Robinson Ballet joins Camp Bangor again this year, and is offering summer workshops in ballet, jazz, choreography, tap, hip-hop, modern, contemporary and how to audition for a better dance experience.

For information, call 989-7226 or visit www.robinsonballet.org.