With support from the California Arts Council, The Gabriella Foundation will provide dance classes to underserved children in Los Angeles. The $18,000 Artists in Schools Extension grant will help provide high-quality, sequential, standards-based after-school dance instruction for 1006 children and youth ages 4 to 19 at six sites. This grant will specifically fund 10 twice-weekly classes from September 2018 through June 2019.
Current programs include:
• Our year-long After-School Program fosters a culture that promotes discipline, high expectations, performance, community building through parental involvement, and sequential, long-term training, allowing students to work toward technical mastery of specific dance forms through leveled classes that meet twice weekly. We also give students opportunities to perform, attend professional dance shows, participate in master classes, and more. All students perform in an end-of-year recital. The four-week Summer Session introduces new students to our dance program and allows returning students to try new dance styles. We serve 615 students ages 4 to 19 at five different sites in Los Angeles.
• Our In-School Program uses dance as a tool for learning, where instructors bring the standards-based curriculum to life in high-energy classes for K-12 students. As part of the school day, we provide weekly one-hour dance classes, working with the schools we serve to determine our mutual goals. For 23-24, we have confirmed contracts with 27 school campuses serving 6,121 students in grades TK – 8. We served an additional 452 students at five LA Unified School District Schools and one charter school during the December 2023 Winter Academy Days.
• Our Middle and High School Enrichment Program introduces students to real-world experiences and careers in dance and arts-related fields, brings students up close to a variety of arts-related industries and experiences through field trips and master classes, matches students with individuals in the arts-related field of their choosing for one-on-one mentoring, and provides guidance and referrals for students as they transition from high school to careers, vocations, and academic study. We currently serve 139 students through this program.
