FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Monica Rhodes
Media Consultant
979.285.8512
[email protected]
photography by Brian Kozak
Kid’s Play NOLA offers New FREE Afterschool Arts Program this Spring
Music and dance arts education for students ages 6 – 17
NEW ORLEANS, LA – December 1, 2011 – This spring, Kid’s Play New Orleans (Kid’s Play NOLA) is
teaming up with the Ashe Cultural Arts Center to offer a FREE afterschool program for New Orleans
youth, ages 6-17, January 17-May 17, 2012.
This past summer, the Ashe Cultural Arts Center and Kid’s Play NOLA teamed up during the Maafa
Celebration to raise community awareness of New Orleans dance and music heritage. The Kid’s Play
NOLA summer camp presented a unique performance to the New Orleans community. Due to the
success of this partnership that brought out over 300 community members, both organizations will join
together again for this afterschool program.
Classes will be led by master instructors Dana Reed and Luther Gray, with Reed teaching dance technique
and creative movement and Gray offering music instruction. The classes will introduce students to
different movement styles such as ballet, hip-hop and modern dance techniques where they will explore
their own creativity and imagination through movement exercises and create their own movement pieces.
The classes will strengthen each student in coordination, strength and musicality. The music class will
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use Djembe and Dun-Dun hand techniques and explore African, Caribbean and New Orleans rhythms
such as Funga, Rumba and Second-line. The students will connect the link of the three origins,
comparing and contrasting each.
In addition to the music and dance lessons, students will also receive master workshops such as visual
arts, second-line dancing and spoken word with local professional artists.
The Kid’s Play NOLA afterschool arts program will culminate on May 19 with a performance at the Ashe
Cultural Arts Center, with students exploring their link with one another, their community, social
networking and the larger world in a performance entitled “Connect the Dots.”
Applications for the free, full scholarship program are now being accepted. Students will be selected on a
first-come, first-serve basis and all economic levels are encouraged to apply. To request an application,
please send an email of inquiry to [email protected] and indicate “Application” in the subject line
or apply online at www.kidsplayinfo.org.
DETAILS:
Kid’s Play NOLA - FREE Afterschool Arts Program
January 17 - May 17, 2012 @ 4 – 5:45 pm
Tuesdays: ages 13-17
Thursdays: ages 6-12
Ashe Cultural Arts Center
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
Transportation must be provided by guardian
Visit www.kidsplayinfo.org for more information about participation in this new program.
This program was made possible by the Jerome S. & Grace H. Murray Foundation.
FOR HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES, CONTACT MONICA RHODES AT 979.285.8512 or [email protected].
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ABOUT DANA REED
Dana Reed grew up in Mississippi and visited New Orleans often with her family and friends. While attending college, she became more
passionate about the artistic culture of the city and knew that one day she would settle in the Big Easy. After graduating with a BFA in
Dance Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, Reed moved to New York City to perform, choreograph, study and teach
dance. Her dance company, Alternative Collaborations, was awarded a performance residency at Chen Dance Center in New York City and
an artistic residency at the Bali Purnati Center for the Arts in Indonesia. Reed also performed with many dance companies in New York City
and is currently performing with Artist Inc. and Possible Side Effects in New Orleans. She has taught a variety of dance styles for over 10
years and is the director of two arts education programs, Kid’s Play NOLA and the Bates Dance Festival’s Youth Arts Program. She
currently teaches dance at KIPP Central City, Anne Burr Dance Studio and the Greater New Orleans Home School Association. Reed
believes art has given her the self-confidence and pride to create an original artistic voice, which is why she finds instruction in the arts a
necessity in all communities and has made it her mission to reach as many youth as possible.
ABOUT LUTHER GRAY
Luther Gray is one of the leading percussionists and arts educators in Louisiana. Gray has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and attended Graduate School in Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He
has worked with the Ashe Cultural Arts Center since their opening in 1998. In 2006, he started the Ashe Drum Circle, which teaches
drumming to students from 3 years old through 65 years of age. Through Ashe, Gray has trained youth and teens in the performing arts. He
founded two major musical groups, Percussion Incorporated and Bamboula 2000 and founded the Congo Square Foundation in 1989. He has
been the primary drummer with the Guardians of the Flame Mardi Gras Indians since 1990.
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ABOUT KID’S PLAY NEW ORLEANS and HOPE STONE, INC.
Kid’s Play NOLA, under the direction of Hope Stone, Inc., is an arts outreach program modeled after the highly successfully Houston Kid’s
Play project. Hope Stone, Inc. is a non-profit arts organization consisting of (1) the choreographic endeavors of Artistic Director Jane
Weiner; (2) Hope Stone Dance Company, a professional dance and theater ensemble; (3) Kid’s Play, an artistic outreach venue for children
and youth at risk located in Houston and Katy, TX and New Orleans; and (4) Hope Center, accommodating adult and children’s movement
classes designed to sharpen the mind, body and soul. Founded in 1997 by Jane Weiner, Hope Stone strives to make art a stronger part of our
lives and is dedicated to presenting authentic dance, music and theater performances and nurturing the creative and expressive side of
children and adults. Hope Stone is headquartered in Houston, TX. For more information on Kid’s Play NOLA, contact Dana Reed at 504390-8399 or [email protected]. For more information on Hope Stone, Inc. visit www.HopeStoneInc.org or call 713-526-1907.