The free dance education activities we offer through Project Motion Community Outreach have wrapped up for 2010. Here’s a quick look at our December highlights, as well as what’s on deck for early 2011.

Motion Express: Earlier in December, 265 older students from 7 DC schools attended the Motion Expressions concert at the Atlas Performing Arts Center to learn and experience “The HeART of Hip Hop.” In addition, each partner school wrapped up its fall session with in-school performances and showcases for their family and friends. Our full roster of partners now numbers 10 schools in Ward 6 alone. We’ve got over 500 DC school children up and dancing on a weekly basis!

Step Ahead Dance Ensemble: Eight members of the Step Ahead Dance Ensemble concluded their fall classes and rehearsals with a great performance in the Fall Youth Company Concert at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Tammy Hurt’s smart choreography for their piece “When We Get By” showed off the young ladies’ best qualities. Tech rehearsal was a real eye-opener for a few of the dancers who had never been onstage before. But once the concert started, you never would have known this was their first performance!

Coming up in 2011: Project Motion already has a full schedule for the Winter/Spring season. The Step Ahead Dance Ensemble will perform at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage at the invitation of our Resident Arts Partner Life, Rhythm, Move Project. And we are busy recruiting Motion Express elementary schools for our spring Motion Expressions interactive concert, “Dance Around the World.”

For more information on Project Motion opportunities, please contact Quynn Johnson at outreach@joyofmotion.org. Happy Holidays!