100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans sponsor ‘School to Stage’

By Prinsey Walker
Contributing Writer

In the new 2016-2017 school year, professional ballet dancers from the New Orleans Ballet Theater will teach 25 lucky students how to dance, leap, and twirl like the greatest ballerinas and ballerinos. This opportunity comes thanks to a partnership between 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans, the New Orleans Ballet Theater, and Lawrence D. Crocker College Prep Elementary School.

The collaboration is an attempt to increase the exposure of arts education for New Orleans students. Together, the organizations worked on a pilot “School to Stage” program. The program, offered to students from grades 3 through 5, will train students in dance techniques for professional ballet performances led by the ballet theater.

Both the school and the theatre saw a need for such programs for the students, said Jonathan Wilson, the president of 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans. “The idea for the program was a collaboration between Amanda Aiken, principal of Lawrence D. Crocker College Prep, and the NOBT to put fine arts in the schools,” Wilson said.

Lawrence D. Crocker College Prep was a good site to put the program because it contained the space needed for dancers, Wilson said. “There is already a dance studio inside of the building,” he said. “Through conversation, we decided to try incorporating ballet into the program,” he added.

The ballet theatre joined the project to give local kids a performing arts education that was missing from many programs in the city. Wilson said that they let the students decide whether or not they were interested in this new dance program. They worked with the school to survey students prior to selecting them for the program. Wilson said that process allowed them to find the 25 students who genuinely wanted to participate.

Students and parents should not worry about any expenses affiliated with the program. The 100 Black Men organization purchased all necessary equipment for the dancers. This included ballet attire for 25 students, which were leotards, tights and ballet slippers. They also bought portable bares for their classes, and planned to pay for any other fees.

Wilson believed that it was his organization’s duty to help carry out the program for the students at Lawrence D. Crocker College Prep. “Our members believe in the impact of fine arts. Many of our members either participated in music or theater and have a real interest in that,” Wilson said. The organization hopes to continue to change student’s lives and to push other organizations to introduce kids to the fine arts.

“What we hope is to provide our students with an exposure to the arts to improve character building and outcomes,” Wilson said. “Not to mention, encouraging other organizations to spearhead programs of their own to help student experiences in our schools.”

This article originally published in the April 18, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.