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City
Hearts classes are held daily at the downtown dance studio, a 3,000-square-foot
professional dance
studio and theater space with 50 feet of mirrored walls and solid oak
floors. All classes are provided FREE and are taught by an acclaimed
faculty of trained actors, dancers, musicians and artists. The 2000
schedule serves 500+ children per week, ages 5-18, with FREE after-school
and weekend classes in theater, dance, music, photography, circus
arts
and Shakespeare. City Hearts Summer Camp of the Arts 2000 served 200
5-7 year-old students. Programs include Arts and Literacy For Tomorrows
Education (A.L.I.T.E.) which uses the arts to teach reading. Programs
also target high-risk youth in crisis, with workshops such as "For Girls
Only" and the ground-breaking "Sentenced to the Stage" program for
youthful offenders on probation.
Program
Directory - 2000
ALITE
- "Arts and Literacy
for Tomorrow's Education"
Integrated into all current classes the
ALITE program teaches language and learning skills through playwriting,
music, dance, and circus and theater arts. Teachers are specially trained
in the Multiple Intelligence Methodology to support varied learning
styles. Specialized classes include the popular Shakespeare Challenge,
incorporating the poetry, themes and characters of Shakespeare's work
and presenting student performances regularly.
"Youth
Arts Diversion" and "The Early Years" programs
"Youth Arts Diversion" targets youth, ages 11-17, and "The Early Years" program
serves children 5-10. Both programs are specifically designed to
bring arts education to disadvantaged children living in high-crime
communities. The classes focus on theater arts, dance, circus arts,
photography and music with a strong emphasis on communication skills
and self-expression.
"Sentenced
to the Stage"
"Sentenced to the Stage" is the
ground-breaking program conducted with youthful offenders, ages 12-18
referred by the Los Angeles Juvenile Court system. Teens on probation
participate in classes in theater arts, playwriting, and stage preparation.
The program culminates in a full-scale performance for the teens' parents,
friends, and community members. City Hearts plans to expand this program
to accommodate the needs of Juvenile Court.
City
Hearts Photography
"Fresh
Focus: A New Shot at Life"
The
photography program gives kids at-risk the chance to explore a new
form of creative expression, which combines art with the world in which
they live. Students learn to shoot with cameras, not guns. Students
learn basic techniques and principles of photography techniques, from
composition and framing to focus and lighting. Using these skills,
they explore different forms of photography: still life, portrait,
landscape and photo-journalism. Student work is often a revelation, providing
a unique and highly personal point of view of the impoverished and
often tragic world in which these young people live.
For
Girls Only
These theater, dance and music classes give girls the chance to work
together to explore gender-specific issues, increase self esteem, self
awareness, empowerment and resisting negative male influences. Participants
also work with a counselor to discuss particular concerns or problems.
City
Hearts Youth Arts Mentors
Youth ages 16-20 specially selected from City Hearts programs receive
free classes in dance, theater, music, and the visual arts, while working
with peers in our programs as paid mentors and teacher's assistants.
These mentors are selected for their dedication and sense of responsibility.
By working with other youth in the program they gain communication and
employment skills.
Shakespeare
Challenge
In collaboration with the Oxnard School
District and the United States Department of Education, City Hearts
provides the arts component of
this overall academic enrichment and crime prevention project. City
Hearts currently serves one middle school and one high school, serving
50 children per quarter. Plans to expand the grant are ongoing.
Dance for Life
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