Zenon Dance Youth Outreach

I wish you all a wonderful start to the Holiday Season! I hope this message finds you and your loved ones in good spirits. Thanks to your generous support, I'm excited to update you on the progress of our Youth Outreach Project at Zenon Dance School.

The Youth Fall Session has officially wrapped up, with classes held at Zenon and in partnership with local public elementary and middle schools. We are diving into this school year with an exciting lineup and continuing to strengthen our relationships within the youth communities we serve.

This past summer, we hosted an outstanding six-week dance program for young participants in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul areas at Zenon's studios. It was our second summer offering, “Dancing Through Words,” a collaborative program with the Minnesota-Hennepin County Library system at two library locations. This free workshop series, designed for children ages 6-11, connects the worlds of words and movement, showing how literature can inspire movement. Led by Zenon Dance instructors, creative movement classes utilize beloved children’s stories, and we even had a special guest reading from a local children’s author. The program was a great success, with families joining in during their afternoon library visits.

We also partnered with MacPhail Center for Music, a community music school that offers lessons and classes in over 35 instruments and voice, to provide opportunities for students ages 7-11 to explore the relationship between music and movement. This collaboration included three one-week Sampler Camps and two on-site summer camp opportunities, fully enrolling children ages 3 through 11. Through these initiatives, Zenon reached nearly fifty young dancers this summer!

The Summer Session concluded with a celebration for youth dancers, showcasing their progress in an open studio classroom. This event allowed families and friends to come together in a safe, welcoming space and witness the dancers' growth over the summer.

As we switched gears for the Fall Session, we offered classes in Creative Movement, Youth Ballet, Youth Modern, and Youth Hip Hop for dancers aged 3-14, culminating in a Fall Showcase at the TEK Box performance space in the Hennepin Center for the Arts. This performance opportunity allows our dance students to take their skills from the classroom to the stage, complete with production elements like lights and sound, while performing for an audience filled with friends and family.

Looking ahead, we are gearing up to announce our Winter Session of on-site classes running from January through March. This Winter, Zenon will continue our partnership with Minneapolis Park and Recreation to offer Youth Hip-Hop for two age groups, reaching students within their communities alongside after-school movement classes at a St. Paul Montessori elementary and middle school. I can't wait to share more details about these wonderful opportunities for our students.

Your support has profoundly impacted the lives of these students this summer and fall, bringing the joy of dance to many young hearts. We are so grateful for your ongoing partnership in our mission to empower youth dancers in Minnesota. Together, we are making a difference, one dance step at a time.

With gratitude,

Danielle Robinson-Prater

Director

Links:

• Zenon Dance website