S.T.E.P.S. ::
S.T.E.P.S Program, (Scholarship Training for the Enrichment of Primary Students) is targeted to reach at-risk children. It is designed to inspire these children to stay in school and possibly even discover a career path. Students engage in dance as a positive after school activity, and the program has been shown to limit the incidence of at-risk related behavior. This program is modeled after a similar award-winning program developed by New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem.
 The Orlando Ballet School began the S.T.E.P.S. program in 1992 to expand the services of Orlando Ballet’s mission to “uplift and educate” the community. The program began with a handful of students from Rock Lake Elementary. Since that time the program has reached more than 1,000 students.
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Intro to Ballet ::
Orlando Ballet has presented an educational story ballet to every Orange County Public School (OCPS) second grade student for the past 15 years through its Intro to Ballet Program. Reaching approximately 16,000 students annually, more than 225,000 children have been served by this program. OCPS music teachers are provided with a lesson plan to prepare the students for both their first formal theatre experience and their first professional ballet. Orlando Ballet works in conjunction with OCPS to create works that are appealing and exciting to a 2nd grade student. Past titles have included story ballets like The Little Mermaid, Rumplestiltskin, Cinderella, and Peter and the Wolf. The ballets are 30 to 40 minutes in length and are preceded by a 10 to 15 minute interactive lecture demonstration. All students participate in learning the basic feet and arm positions for classical ballet. The performances take place at Orlando’s premium classical arts theatre, the Bob Carr. Students are bussed to the theatre for the performance. Presenting the work at a professional theatre is mandatory as it enables the dancers to safely show their art form in the best possible way with a floor and space that enable them to best perform. Performers gain necessary stage experience while young audience members are exposed not only to classical ballet but a formal theatre experience learning audience skills for all the classical performing arts.
This year, the Orlando Ballet will present Cinderella as a part of the Intro to Ballet program. This original piece features choreography by OBS Director Peter Stark and music by Sergei Prokofiev. Click here to download the lesson plans for the Orlando Ballet’s 2009 Intro to Ballet presentation of Cinderella.
Helpful Links ::
Orlando Ballet Cinderella Lesson Plans
Ballet Basics
Resources from Previous Years |
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