Workshops
Ballet Des Moines is proud to offer workshops for communities around the Greater Des Moines region. If you are interested in sponsoring the next workshop, please contact info@balletdesmoines.org for more information of how to get involved.
DISCUSSIONS
Creativity is used as a tool to engage youth and adults in activities and discussions exploring a wide range of concepts, from civic engagement, to the science of space, to literacy and identity.
2023-24 Workshop Details Coming Soon!
PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS
KISS: TOGETHER, WITH, AND FOR DSM
WITH FUNDING SUPPORT FROM
Ballet Des Moines partnered with the Indigenous, Latina, award-winning choreographer Stephanie Martinez and her company Para.Mar to bring inspirational and engaging art to every corner of our community. Over the course of a five-week residency, Martinez introduced her work and her story to audiences of all ages across our region, from parking lots to prosceniums.
Local students participated in a multi-week workshop exploring identity, creativity, and culture, culminating in a public performance alongside Ballet Des Moines and Para.Mar in their local communities and featuring local performing artists in Perry, IA and Des Moines, IA.
Community Partners: 4-H Youth Development, Oakridge Neighborhood, Boys and Girls Club, Salir Adelante, The Commission for Latino Affairs, Al Éxito, Hispanics United for Perry.
POWER + JUSTICE
Together with the Iowa Bar Association, The Iowa Wrongful Conviction Division, Drake Law School, and Throughline Arts, Ballet Des Moines developed a workshop series for student groups to explore the intersection of performing arts, civics, and social-emotional learning. The arts integrated lessons explored the principles of trial-based civic engagement to understand how implicit bias and emotional responses can affect policy and proceedings. Students acquired foundational experience of our judicial branch, engaged in experiential learning modules, and participated in theater workshops, including direction, production, blocking, and movement-based storytelling. Ultimately, students used creativity and critical thinking to explore the trial law and create new solutions.
Workshops and discussions were led by Christina Farrell (Arts Integration Expert and Founder, Throughline Arts), Erica Nichols Cook (Clinician in Residence at the Legal Clinic, Drake University and Director, State Public Defender's Wrongful Conviction Division), Emily Chafa (Judge and Diversity & Inclusiveness Committee Chair, Iowa State Bar Association) & Henry Hamilton III (President, Iowa State Bar Association), and Tobi Parks (Founder, XBK and Station One Records and Entertainment and Intellectual Property Attorney).
Program Partners: Iowa State University, Iowa NASA Space Grant Consortium, Iowa PBS, 4-H Youth Development, Throughline Arts, Iowa Bar Association, Iowa Wrongful Conviction Division, Oakridge Neighborhood Association, Drake Law School
