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