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Pacific Northwest Ballet's DanceChance program strives to reach into the community and discover talented, Seattle-area elementary school students. Children who show they have the physical ability to become professional dancers are provided with classical training, allowing them the opportunity they might not otherwise have to pursue a dance career. Students attend classes twice a week on full tuition scholarship with dance attire, transportation and complimentary tickets to company performances provided. DanceChance began in 1994 and was designed by Francia Russell, Co-Artistic Director and Director of PNB School. In Russell's words: "It is our hope that exposing these talented kids to classical ballet and other forms of dance will open up new worlds for them. Few, if any, of them would ever have known about their talent without the DanceChance program and some might never have found a productive passion in life. We feel confident that they will repay us through the fresh and diverse influence they will have on the future of our art form." DanceChance — First Year In the fall, the DanceChance screening team visits partner schools to audition third-grade students. Students are selected on the basis of their musicality, physical ability and coordination. The Introductory Session runs for 7-8 weeks through December. Students study ballet fundamentals as well as character dance, modern and jazz. A select number of students who demonstrate strong interest, talent and willingness are invited to continue their training in the spring.
Children who show interest and promise are invited to continue as second-year students, focusing on classical ballet as well as character dance, modern and jazz. Students attend classes twice a week; once on a regular school day and once on Saturday. In their third year, students join regular PNB School classes. The DanceChance students have auditioned for and been placed in such company productions as PNB's Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Educational Role DanceChance is an integral part of a child's educational experience. It aims to enhance the children's self-discipline, self-confidence and sense of achievement through the structure and demands of ballet training. DanceChance expects children to do well in their schoolwork in order to stay in the program. Each participating school coordinates a way for each child to make up missed schoolwork. Most children progress academically while in DanceChance and many schools and parents have attributed this success to the program. Continuation Evaluation and assessment of DanceChance children by DanceChance faculty and staff is an ongoing, multi-faceted effort. A child's continuation is based on his/her talent, interest and willingness to participate. These three categories indicate a match between the child's needs and DanceChance's ability to meet them.
The children themselves, with help and advice from family and teachers, are to a large extent in control of how much of their dance potential is reached. The decisions they make about their own behavior, attendance, homework and school work play a role in the children's continuation in DanceChance. "Whether or not the DanceChance students become professional dancers as adults is not a question that we should worry about. Rather...you are providing an experience that will last a lifetime; you have given these children a vision of the broad scope of possibilities for them in the coming years, a vision that will take them soaring to the highest heights."DanceChance on the Eastside Since the opening of the Francia Russell Center in Bellevue in 2002, Pacific Northwest Ballet has looked forward to the expansion of the DanceChance program to talented students on the Eastside. In the Fall of 2004, DanceChance began it's partnership with six Bellevue School District Schools to offer classical ballet training to students who otherwise would not have the opportunity. Students attend classes once a week at the Francia Russell Center and are provided with full tuition scholarships, dance attire, transportation and tickets to PNB performances.
If you would like more information about DanceChance, contact Jennifer McLain, DanceChance Manager at (206) 441-2435 ext. 3516, or e-mail dancechance@pnb.org
Volunteers work directly with DanceChance students helping them prepare for class, supervising educational activities, and coordinating transportation issues. Volunteers are needed in Seattle at the Phelps Center on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays from 10:45–12:45 and in Bellevue at the Francia Russell Center on Wednesdays from 1:00–3:00. Volunteers should have experience with children, as well as an interest in working with students from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Volunteers should also be flexible and able to guide students in a positive and constructive manner. If you are interested in this rewarding opportunity, please contact Jennifer McLain, DanceChance Manager, at 206.441.2435 ext. 3516 or dancechance@pnb.org.
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