Elementary In-School Arts Experiences
Dance
- Ballet West for Children—Ballet West
- Kids in Motion Two-Week Residency—Ririe Woodbury
- Dance is for Everybody!—Ririe Woodbury
- Teacher Workshops and Lecture Demonstrations—Children's Dance Theatre
- RDT Movement Classes and Lecture Demonstrations—Repertory Dance Theatre
- Kinnect Dance Company—Brigham Young University Department of Dance
- Traditionz Folk Dance Ensemble—Brigham Young University Department of Dance
Media Arts
- Real to Reel—Utah Film Center
- Video Game Design—Spy Hop
Music
- Opera by Children—Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
- Who Wants to be an Opera Star?—Utah Opera
- Symphony for the Schools—Utah Symphony
Theater
- Storytelling Programs—Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
- BYU Young Company
- UVU Noorda Youth Theatre
Visual Art
- Art Talks—Springville Museum of Art
- Museum in the Classroom—Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- Traveling Museum Project—Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- Book Arts Treasure Chest
Elementary Arts Field Trip Opportunities
- In-Theatre Matinees—Ballet West
- Fifth-Grade Concerts—Utah Symphony
- Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Open Rehearsals
- Production Studio and Capitol Theatre Tours—Utah Opera
- Annual Concert for Children with Special Needs and Their Families—Utah Symphony & Utah Opera
- Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
- BYU Arts
- BYU Museum of Art
- Springville Museum of Art
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- Tumbleweeds Festival—Utah Film Center
Opportunities for Secondary Students
Utah High School Dance Festival
The Utah High School Dance Festival boasts attendance of approximately 800 students annually. Supported by the Utah School Board of Education, the festival offers a multitude of opportunities for high school students including
- Auditions for scholarships from university and professional dance programs
- Adjudications and feedback sessions with dance professionals from universities and professional dance companies from throughout the state
- Introduction to recruiters from colleges and universities in Utah and surrounding states
- Classes with a wide range of professionals from various genres and cultural dance forms
- Recognition of members of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts
- Performing in the gala performance
- Awards for student choreography and performance excellence
Free Professional Performances
Local professional dance companies offer students free tickets to their student matinees that are abbreviated versions of their full-length evening performances performed during the school day. All you need to do is provide the transportation to the performance space. Check local university dance departments for opportunities to view college-level performances.
Ballet West: education@balletwest.org
Ririe-Woodbury: education@ririewoodbury.com
Repertory Dance Theatre: lynne@rdtutah.org
Children’s Dance Theatre: tannerdance@utah.edu
University Days of Dance
Many university dance programs will host high school students on campus for a full day of workshops, campus tours, and audition experience. Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and Utah Valley University each provide their own day of dance, as may others. Check your local universities dance program websites for more information.
Choreographic Residencies
Professional dance companies in Utah (such as Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury, Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, SALT, and others) send their dancers to choreograph for junior high and high school dance companies. This experience provides students with the opportunity to work closely with professional dancers and choreographers. Contact local dance companies in your area for more information on providing a professional guest artist for your students.
National Honor Society of Dance Arts
UDEO as a state affiliate of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), proudly supports the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) for middle and high school age students in K–12 schools. Inducted students are encouraged to include their membership in scholarship packets and/or résumés for college or dance employment. All students inducted receive:
- A certificate of membership in the NHSDA
- An NHSDA honor cord and gold pin for graduation ceremonies
- Invitations to participate in resume-building and college preparation events
- Mailings generated by the state chapters
Other opportunities:
- Summer Dance Workshops
- Sterling Scholar
- Reflections Contests