Jul 29, 2010
BY JESSE SCOTT
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Fourteen area middle and high school students went into this week not knowing a whole lot about the arts.
By tomorrow, they'll know quite a bit.
After a week of intensive classes focused on choreography, music and acting, a handful of low-income and at-risk children will get their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
The second annual Performing Arts Camp Showcase sponsored by the Riverside Foundation for the Performing Arts will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow. The performance, held at Riverside Dinner Theater, is free to the public.
"A lot of the kids come into the program and are pretty shy, standing in the corner of the stage, trying not to be noticed by the teacher," said Rich Hicks, administrator of the Riverside Foundation for the Performing Arts. "But by the end of the week, they are really hamming it up and having a blast."
The Performing Arts Camp kicked off on Monday and includes participants from the Bragg Hill Family Life Center, Stafford Junction (formerly Olde Forge Junction), and Agape Preparatory School. There were no costs for the families or children to participate in the program.
Each day this week, from 9 a.m. to noon, the participants were transported to the facility for classes focused on various performing skills.
The classes were taught by a selection of seasoned industry veterans including Vilma Gill, from the original Broadway production of "Nunsense," and Gigi McClain, choreographer of several productions at Riverside.
Following the classes and lunch each day, the participants stayed after for an hourlong rehearsal to prepare for tomorrow's showcase.
The showcase will feature "some choreography, some music, and most likely a comedy," according to Hicks.
While the weeklong program is an excellent opportunity for kids to grow closer to the arts, Hicks sees the camp as a vehicle to build self-esteem and strengthen individual communities.
"It's all about developing self-esteem and confidence," said Hicks. "We also see this program as a way of paying it forward because a lot of these organizations have fundraising, too. A lot of them are trying to develop their own showcases--and with this, they can go out to various city groups and put on presentations that help their own fundraising activities."
At the end of the day, it's the success stories and ensuing hope that has kept the program going for two years and hopefully many more to come.
"A lot of these kids are in low-income and at-risk situations," said Hicks. "We see [the program] as another way of turning a negative into a positive. That is the cherry on top, as far as we are concerned."
Jesse Scott is a Fredericksburg writer.