programs base

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