Dance, theater now offered at middle schools

CORRECTION: Faith Lenhart, arts education coordinator, said while the grant is for two years, the district will have to apply for the second year.

Thanks to a grant from the Alabama State Department of Education’s Arts Initiative, dance and theater classes are now offered at both Liberty Park Middle School and Pizitz Middle School, said Arts Education Coordinator Faith Lenhart.

Lenhart said the school district applied for the grant last year and received notice they had received it earlier this year. There is now one dance class and one theater class offered at both middle schools, with new teachers helping students learn.

The $20,000 grant helps fund teacher units, Lenhart said. The school district will have to apply for the second year of the grant, she said. The classes are held during student’s activity periods, which means they don’t have to drop another class to participate, and classes meet state and national standards. These are classes, not teams for which students must audition, Lenhart said. The focus is not on performance as much as it is on process, though there will be one-acts and a dance performance at the dance showcase held annually at Vestavia Hills High School, Lenhart said.

Lenhart said she hopes dance and theater will eventually be provided at the elementary level. Superintendent Todd Freeman is a “true supporter” of the arts, she said, and that is seen not just in supporting this grant application but also in the new spaces being proposed for the arts in the 1Rebel 1Future facilities plan.

Having dance and theater classes available is a big benefit to students, Lenhart said.

“It’s a place for them to fit in, a place for them to plug in,” Lenhart said. “It gives them identity, a group of friends, a support group.”

Lenhart said she’s hoping 20 to 50 students participate. While there is not dedicated space in both schools, they have found parts of the gyms and classrooms to use.

Since the classes are not part of a team structure, this keeps costs down, Lenhart said, and helps those who may not be sure if they want to participate further in those fields.

“It’s an opportunity for kids who don’t have any experience to get experience,” Lenhart said. “It allows them to take a beginners-level course.”