Fallsnewspress.com - Reach Out and Dance takes musical 'ROAD' trip

Around 500 fourth-grade students from Cuyahoga Falls and Akron participated in Reach Out and Dance’s outreach program, which included a show in May. Preston danced about Australia.

Around 500 fourth-grade students from Cuyahoga Falls and Akron participated in Reach Out and Dance’s outreach program, which included a show in May. Dewitt danced about China.

Photos special to Record Publishing Co. Around 500 fourth-grade students from Cuyahoga Falls and Akron participated in Reach Out and Dance’s outreach program, which included a show in May. Richardson danced about Greece.

Reach Out and Dance celebrated a successful conclusion to its 11th year of serving area students with a performance in May at Cuyahoga Falls High School.

More than 500 fourth-grade students from Dewitt, Lincoln, Preston, Price, Richardson, and Silver Lake Elementary Schools in Cuyahoga Falls, and Case, Edge Academy, and Portage Path Elementary Schools in Akron kicked up their heels for an appreciative audience of family and friends. This year's show, "One World," featured an exploration of diverse world cultures including China, Greece, Africa, and more. After school program participants added even more enjoyment as members of Team Excel, featuring nine returning fifth-grade students and Team S.W.A.T (Super Wonderful Advanced Team) featuring eight returning sixth-grade students lent their dancing expertise to the performance.

ROAD® is a community outreach program of the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet. R.O.A.D. Artistic Director Kara Stewart takes her team of professionally- trained dance teachers and pianists into 15 elementary schools each week to provide free arts education programming to local students. In addition to weekly dance classes, ROAD® participants are provided with a curriculum-based field trip and complimentary tickets to a live ballet performance.

ROAD's mission is to integrate dance into the public school curriculum while increasing self-discipline, problem-solving, goal-setting, and team-building skills in its participants through a positive experience in the arts.

Participation in ROAD® also fulfills the Ohio Department of Education Arts and Culture requirement for fourth and fifth grades.

Each year select students are awarded scholarships to further their education in dance through classical ballet training at the home of the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, the Excellence in Dance Studio in Cuyahoga Falls.

The Reach Out and Dance® arts education program is provided to area public schools at no cost through the support of private and corporate funders.

To learn more about the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet's Reach Out and Dance program, visit www.cvyb.org online.