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Organization: College of the Canyons
Date: October 24, 2008
Diavolo to Dance for College of the Canyons/Hart District Students
SANTA CLARITA — As part of the ongoing K-12 arts education outreach program offered by the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons (PAC), the dance company Diavolo will present a special performance and set of accompanying master class opportunities for Santa Clarita Valley students.
Founded in 1992 in Los Angeles by Jacques Heim, Diavolo is a professional modern dance company with a mission to create large-scale interdisciplinary performances that examine the funny and frightening ways individuals act within their environment.
Performances include the talents of dancers, gymnasts and actors all interacting on stage with outrageous and surrealistic props and sets, to create an almost cinematic experience. By continually pushing the boundaries of both the performer and the stage, Diavolo has captivated audiences around the world.
In line with its mission, Diavolo has also become an exemplary teaching institution, featuring experienced artists/teachers who have graduated from some of the country's finest dance institutions.
As a prelude to the PAC Diavolo performance on Saturday November 1, company artists will interact with students from the College of the Canyons dance department in the first of two master class opportunities on October 30.
Designed for the professional and pre-professional dance-track student, Diavolo hosts master classes traditionally featuring lessons in trust, teamwork, physicality and artistry. In addition, all master classes will incorporate a "creation" aspect, where students will take learned vocabulary and elements of dance and create a short phrase, either with partners or in groups.
On Friday morning, October 31, approximately 600 local junior high and high school students from the William S. Hart Union school district will be treated to a special Diavolo education performance as part of the college's ongoing arts education outreach program.
A second Diavolo master class will provide a dozen local high school students with the opportunity to work alongside professional artists from the dance company, in a format similar to that enjoyed by the college's dance students. This second master class will also include the presence of selected College of the Canyons dance students, who will serve as mentors to their high school aged counterparts.
"One goal of these events is to develop and to sustain educational collaboration between College of the Canyons' dance students and the Hart district dance students," said Dr. Floyd Moos, College of the Canyons' Dean of Fine and Performing Arts. "We're looking forward to help sponsor future creative opportunities for professional and student growth and to enrich and expand the learning experiences for participants at all ages and all stages."
All Diavolo master classes and special performance arrangements are made possible thanks to a donation from the Found Penny Foundation.
"We are thrilled that the Found Penny Foundation is supporting the PAC K-12 Arts Education Outreach program," said Adam Philipson, PAC managing director. "This generous donation will allow College of the Canyons and the PAC to make a strong and lasting impression in the program's pilot year, and will greatly impact the ways in which we are able to reach out to more local students and provide exposure to the arts."
The PAC's K-12 arts education outreach program seeks to use the college's vast cultural and community resources to expose students to the visual and performing arts, while also collaborating with teachers and administrators in school districts throughout the area to develop an enhanced arts education curriculum, and a variety of unique educational opportunities for all students.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. Diavolo performance on Saturday November 1 can be purchased online at www.canyonspac.com or by calling the PAC box office at (661) 362-5304.
For more information about the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons K-12 Arts Education Outreach Program or to get involved please contact Adam Philipson at (661) 362-5305.
