Band, choir, and physical education
students at the James. E. Bazzell Middle School were introduced to a Russian
Folk Dance as part of a Cultural Immersion program presented Friday, September
21. The 90-minute program was presented to the students as a joint effort from
the Moscow Ballet and the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SKYPAC) education
program.
“I will dance with them and teach them a dance,” explained Moscow Ballet
dancer Yuriy Kuzo. “I will also explain to them some about this ballet, about
the folk legends of the Russian nations and the Slovak regions. I will ask them
to try and do some of the Ukraine folk dances. I will also help them create the
dove of piece since today is the International Day of Peace.”
Kuzo’s visit to the Bazzell Middle School was part of a program called
New Horizons---A Children’s Program for Life. The program brings highly trained
dancers with the Russian Ballet into communities across the country to
introduce the art to American youngsters as well as help locate young dancers.
“The Moscow Ballet travels across the United States and asked dance
studios to be hosts for them,” explained Martha Madison, owner of the Bowling
Green dance studio, Dance Arts. “We will actually audition dance students to
perform on stage with these professional dancers. It’s an amazing experience
for these kids. The Moscow Ballet also has an extended student educational
program and the Allen County students are getting a special treat. It’s
important to educate the generations coming up. There will be some child
setting in the bleachers that may think they will be able to do this. If that
happened, then dance has found that child.”
Madison contacted Tiffany Deaton, the Educational Coordinator with
SKyPAC, who quickly determined that bringing Kuzo to the middle school would
work well, given the on-going arts education partnership between SKyPAC and
Allen County Schools. The partnership is funded by a grant from the Laura Goad
Turner Charitable Foundation and seeks to gives Allen County students multiple
opportunities to learn about the arts each school year.
Friday’s cultural lesson featured Kuzo demonstrating the basic elements
of a basic dance to the students. Grouped in circles on the gym floor, the
approximate 100 students were asked to attempt the steps. Kuzo also talked
about the traditions behind dance. In addition, Kuzo led students in origami---the
art of paper folding---challenging them to create a paper dove in recognition
of Friday’s special date.
“When we started looking at a day and place, this was a special date,”
added Deaton. “It’s the International Day of Peace.”
In his closing remarks, Kuzo reminded the students of two things. First,
that the art of paper folding and dance are related in that both require focus
and practice and that not all cultures live in peace.
“In my country, there is a war going on,” Kuzo explained to the
students. “We have this day so that you know that peace is a main thing in this
life that we all desire.”