Minneapolis to bring dance programs to every public school, rec center
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A class of about a dozen FAIR School for Arts students practiced a jazzy dance routine on Monday morning in the downtown Minneapolis school building, all in matching dance uniforms, their tap shoes clicking on a mat rolled out for the occasion.
The downtown Minneapolis high school has robust dance programming, but that can be hard to find at other public schools.
Now, there’s a plan to improve dance offerings. City officials announced a partnership Monday to bring dance education to every public school and Parks and Recreation center in Minneapolis, funded with $350,000 from the city.
Ben Johnson, the city’s Arts and Cultural Affairs director, said it’s an investment in the city’s arts landscape — and its kids.
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“This kind of program helps children achieve their full creative capacity,” Johnson said. “It creates a pathway for each person to learn their sense of identity, connect with members of their community and give confidence.”
It’s a collaboration between the city, the Parks and Recreation Board and the school system. The program will set up partnerships between professional dancers and schools around the city, and add youth dance classes to every rec center.
The programming is meant to make up the gap created last year when the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts closed and ended its educational programs in the city.
Mayor Jacob Frey said it’s part of the effort to reinvigorate arts programming after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The arts got hit particularly hard, and we talked with a number of dance companies, students that had been educated in dance, and people throughout our city that had lost that very important educational practice in Minneapolis,” Frey said.
It’s a tight year for the school system’s budget, as the district tries to make up a $75 million gap. Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams said she’s glad to lock in funding for arts — often one of the first programs on the chopping block when finances are tight.
“Funding for public schools is a challenge right now,” Sayles-Adams said. “We are grateful and honored that all children across our district will have access to dance so students can feel the joy and expression of movement.”
Ava Vice is a student who performed with the FAIR dance class. She said she felt lucky to be at schools with performing arts programs — something she thinks all students should have.
“Without the performing arts training that I had there, I would be a lot less happy of a person,” Vice said. “It made me get up and feel happy and get excited for the day, and I hope that many more people can find happiness through the performing arts.”
The city council is poised to take a final vote this week to approve funding for the program.