Fall Newsletter
October 2009
It may be a while since you have heard from us but it’s only because we’ve been busy teaching and performing and changing and growing. On August 1st, I decided to step aside as Artistic Director of Chicago Danztheatre to take on a more Executive Director role focusing on our Kids Project programs. Nine years ago, I was one of the founding members of the company and I am proud of our dedication to creating sociopolitical theatre. In 2002, we received our 501-3c status and have grown tremendously in performance and outreach programming, both require a significant amount of time. It is for this reason that I step aside. Amanda Eaton, Dani Bryant and Denise Parkhurst will be taking over the artistic reigns. Being a teaching artist, and developing new curriculum that blends academics and the arts is both challenging and creative. Arts-in-education allows children the opportunity to think “outside of the box” and explore the possibilities. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” To me, teaching is making positive change by planting a small seed, watering it, and watching it grow.
Zachary Watchel, inspired our new Kids Project logo, designed by Debra Kayes. I always tell the children, I am not an octopus, and you’ll have to be patient for me to help you. One day, Zachary with the most serious voice said, “Ms. Ellyzabeth, I really wish you were an octopus because then we could do more things and have more fun.” I told this story to Dani Bryant who very creatively said, “that (the octopus) would make a fabulous logo,” and so the design concept started. I hope you like it.
-Ellyzabeth Adler
Executive Director
Kids Project
2008-2009 was a busy year for Kids Project with new schools, new programs, new teachers And it looks like 2009-2010 will be a year of growth as well! The 2008-09 school year served well over 1000 children in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs!
Kids Project has grown this year with two new schools, Chopin and Simpson Academy and a new program at Hephzibah Home.
At Chopin School, through a partnership with the West Town Leadership United, Amanda Eaton, Dani Bryant and Ellyzabeth Adler worked with the 2nd, 2/3rd bilingual, and 3rd grade classes. The kids opened their storybooks and jumped on stage to interpret them at the school’s Reading Night where they performed in front of 350 parents and students. The kids created their costumes and backdrop and through acting and dancing told the stories that they have been reading in class.This year, we will be working with the all the grades, with four reading nights, in which every grade will have a chance to bring their books to life through visual and performing arts and perform them for the school and their parents. Through our partnership with WTLU, will be teaching after school, an Arts Alive summer camp, and through the healthy eating initiative with the Chicago Public Schools, putting on a cooking show with the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. The cooking show, developed by our teaching artist and chef, Dani Bryant, the kids act, cook, and write a review of their food, all while learning public speaking, acting, math and language and literacy skills. At the end of the year, we will be publishing a Kids Project Cookbook.
St. Peter’s Skokie
We returned to St. Peter’s in Skokie for our 6th year where the kids made over 100 Christmas ornaments for elders at the parish. The acting class with Ms. Dani, spent the entire year working on their version of Cinderella, while in dance learned fun dance moves with their teacher, Sabrina Cavins, who has left our teaching staff to go to graduate school in Colorado. We will miss her, but wish the best of luck to her and her new husband!
For those of us who have been lucky enough to teach at the school, it has been fun to see children who start with us in Pre-school (3yrs) and stay with us until the 5th grade and how they grow into arts loving enthusiasts. All of this couldn’t be possible without the support of the school’s secretary, Mrs. Peggy Lloyd and Principle Joan Mc Cain.
The Children's School
At the Children’s School (Oak Park/Berwyn) our five-day a week after school program was filled with many adventures. Building on the school’s philosophy of progressive education, (focusing on the natural instincts of the child’s learning and interests) the students take an initiative in their learning. This year through the guidance of our creative teaching artists, Jen Guglielmi, Dani Bryant, and Ellyzabeth Adler, the students created an air band, wrote 4 newspapers, created superhero characters that resulted in a play, a comic book, and costumes galore. Their visual art projects filled the classroom as they learned about famous artists and then experimented with their medium to create their own masterpieces, brought books alive with art inspired by them and did several group projects including a paper mache’ of the world for Earth Day.
We also had an opportunity to work with the kindergarten and 1st grade classes on a new math curriculum “Measurements of Movement,” which for this project, the school received a Quick Start grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Ellyzabeth Adler worked with the kindergarten teacher, Nadine Brockman and 1st grade teacher, Cathy Ward, deciding on what math concepts and vocabulary words should be used during the residency. The kindergartners learned about symmetry in a couple of different ways. With Ellyzabeth, they learned how their bodies naturally moved asymmetrically and how to walk symmetrically and they did a symmetrical dance with a partner. Mrs. Brockman supported the lesson by cutting photos of the children’s faces in half and had them draw the other symmetrical side. In partners, both classes danced parallel and diagonal and created a graph on how many dance step it took each child to go from point a to point b. All of this sure made math fun.
This year, our after school program at the children’s school is focusing on Cultural Immersion,” Teaching Arts Through Spanish.” The Kids Project teachers will use Spanish language immersion as a conduit for experiencing culture through art, literature, celebrations, games, dance, rhythms, music and cooking. The children will discover the culture and geography of a different Spanish-speaking country each month. We welcome our new teacher, Brian Alejandro Gil, to our staff, who through his fun use of songs and play the kids will be learning Spanish. This year, the children will demonstrate their cooking, visual and performing art, and their new language skill at a dinner theater extravaganza, watch your inboxes for more information.
SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS
As we head strongly into our 10th year, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble will be seeking candidates to join our Board of Directors! We are looking for individuals who are committed to helping us continue to create artistically infused socially conscious work! As Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble continues to grow and change, we strive to expand and diversify our board in order to bring new energy & passion to the work we continue to do in schools as well as within our local communities.
As a board member you will help us find support within new circles and networks so we can expand our audience and our educational resources. At quarterly Board meetings we will discuss and hear your thoughts on how we all can work together to continue achieving our goals as Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble.
If you are interested in becoming a part of our board simply contact us at info@danztheatre.org
Performances
Simpson Academy for Young Women, a school for pregnant and teen mothers, worked with Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble on the play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When The Rainbow is Enuf, and performed it at the EP Theatre in Pilsen. For these teen moms, it was an experience where they gained self-confidence, self-respect and learned the skills to be a great performer. One student, Tierra, said of her experience in this play “has been a wall of difficulty because I’m not use to some of the steps and procedures to putting on a play and what is expected of me. One thing I would want people to know about me that I have learned is never underestimate me, I am unique and there is no limit to what I can do.” This year will be back at Simpson working with English teacher, Ben Clark, where the young women will write and create their own performance.
WHAT’S TO COME?2001- 2010 make your voice heard in our 10th season. 2001 was our first season where we performed at several festivals and did a workshop performance of T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, in 2002, we received our 501 c 3 status and produced an evening length work of T.S. Eliot’s poetry, Death’s Dream Kingdom and The Wasteland and started our Kids Project program. With 7 full length productions, 5 Full Circle Danztheatre Festivals, and over 16 short danztheatre pieces we are looking forward to discovering new work for our 10th season.
On Its Feet
This year we are very excited about our first festival of new works! On Its Feet will give Chicago Danztheatre a chance to collaborate with artists from Chicago who are eager to get their new works 'On their feet!'
This weekend of readings and workshops will take place in an environment of 'social performance.' There will be food and drink and many new conversations to be had!
Between readings we will break, have a drink and hors d'oeuvres, listen to music and enjoy the space. This relaxed environment will encourage audiences to enjoy and support the work created by passionate and committed artists while also hopefully sharing and inspiring work of their own...
If you would like to submit work for 'On Its Feet' or be involved as an actor or director please contact us at info@danztheatre.org for more information.
Welcome our new Director of Development
Shannon Bourne will be joining Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble to help with grant writing and fundraising efforts. She recently graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Masters in Arts Management and also holds a Bachelor of Fine Art in painting from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She continues to make and show her work, in addition to managing and developing various art exhibitions. Shannon has worked with several arts organizations in Nebraska and Illinois and is excited to use her experiences to support Danztheatre’s performance and outreach programs.
Tales from Around the World
This past summer we had fun performing our interactive multicultural theater & dance, Tales from Around the World, traveling in and around Chicago, as far as Moline, IL. Contact us to find out how Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble’s Kids Project can perform at your school or community centers.
Tales from Around the World travels around the globe from West Africa, India, South America, Europe and Native American Indian folk-tales interwoven through song, dance and theatrical storytelling. We can tailor the performance to your schools interests. Some of the tales we like to tell are of Zomo the Rabbit, who asks the Sky God how to get wisdom and through his cleaver trickery, finds it. Falling for Rapunzel, has something of a different twist. While we dance to the ancient chant of OM interlaced with percussion beats, it is sure to get the audience dancing in their seats along with interactive songs to follow. Our audience is the supporting cast of fish, cows and many other characters that we will seek out.
The 40-50-minute runtimes are suitable for all organizations needs. All performances are accompanied with a curriculum guide that gives teachers suggestions to further their lesson plans with fun art projects, guided discussion questions and writing activities. contact us: Kidsproject@danztheatre.org
Bring Kids Project To Your School
In our Kids Project classes, we use children’s literature as a vehicle to teach young students performing and visual art skills. Our process-oriented classes engage children and build on each child’s personality and inherent talents. By working to meet achievable goals, students become more self-confident, and begin to creatively explore more complex applications of new skills. 
We are available for art-integrated residencies, after school classes and performances. We can help bring books to life or illuminate the study of history and other subjects through dance or visual art and to the stage. Classes can be geared towards teaching only the arts or curriculum integration at the request of the school.
On your Feet, will you be in the Seat? 
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble & Kids Project 2480 N. Albany Ave. Unit 1 Chicago, IL 60647