By Betsy Stein
Thanks to a grant from the PNC Foundation, preschoolers who might never have gotten a chance to try out a dance class will be pirouetting with professionals from the Ballet Theatre of Maryland.
PNC recently awarded an $18,000 grant to the Ballet Theatre of Maryland to enable low-income children in the area the chance to experience classical dance. The grant will help fund a new model called “Tiny Toes in the Studio,” which is a four-part program that will bring classes of preschoolers into the studio for two half-day sessions and provide resources for teachers to continue lessons back in the classroom, according to Dianna Cuatto, BTM’s artistic director.
“We believe this is a strong program that will develop lasting benefits for children,” she said. “It’s an experience that many of the kids will not have again.”
Pilot to begin next spring
The pilot program will begin next spring with classes from five area elementary schools and Head Start programs. The students will come to BTM’s new studio space in Annapolis on two occasions where they will have a creative movement class followed by a short presentation by professional dancers. After the presentation, the students will have time to dance with the dancers and will also have lunch with them, Cuatto said. They will end the day with an arts and crafts session making a coloring book of their day at the ballet. The teachers will then continue to work on what the children have learned back in the classroom, and professionals from BTM will come to the school to follow up and see what the teachers have done.
“Research shows that an arts-rich educational environment helps children to succeed in school and in life,” said Louis R. Costello, PNC Greater Maryland regional president, speaking on behalf of the PNC Foundation. “Our investment represents a commitment to the vibrant and diverse cultural energy that is uniquely Maryland.”
BTM hopes the program will grow so they can reach out to more students in future years.
