Four arts organizations partner to form Miami-Dade Arts Education Collective

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In an effort to bring arts experiences to thousands of Miami-Dade students during these challenging times, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Miami Theater Center, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs’ Culture Shock Miami program, and South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC) have joined forces to create the Miami-Dade Arts Education Collective.

The Collective is committed to providing diverse and high-quality arts programming to students across all grade levels throughout the 2020-21 school year.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students are unable to go on typical field trips to participate in live arts performances. While virtual performances cannot replace the magic of live theater, the Collective seeks to engage students by making arts performances available and accessible via online/virtual offerings instead of the traditional, in-person field trip.

The Collective provides the virtual content to teachers and students at no charge through a collaboration with the Miami- Dade County Public Schools’ (MDCPS) Cultural Passport Program as well as private, charter and homeschools, keeping students engaged with the arts.

The proposed season includes eight virtual performances. The first performance, A Kids Play About Racism, created with elementary students in mind, started on Oct. 19 and will extend through May. So far, 53 teachers have participated, reaching nearly 3,000 students.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom ran from Oct. 26 through Nov. 13 and had 28 participating teachers, reaching about 2,890 students. Encompassing the fourth largest school system in the nation and the largest county in the state, the Collective has the potential to reach well over 400 schools and upwards of 400,000 students.

The season includes the following performances throughout the 2020-21 school year:

A Kids Play About Racism
Discipline: Theater; Theme: Social Justice
Dates: Oct. 19, 2020 through May, 2021
Audience: Elementary School
A groundbreaking online performance inspired by the New York Times best seller A Kids Book About Racism. This performance explains what racism is, how to know it when you see and experience it, and ideas for what you can do about it. This is one conversation that’s never too early to start, and this virtual play was created to be an introduction for young children on the topic.

Hip Hop Nutcracker
Discipline: Hip Hop Dance/Musical
Dates: Dec. 7-18
Audience: Third grade through High School
Hip Hop Nutcracker is a virtual performance by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers. With the freshest hip-hop choreography, a live deejay and electric violinist, this crowd-pleasing, uplifting saga turns the original Tchaikovsky score on its head in the coolest possible way. Digital scenery transforms E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story into a romance set in 1980s New York. Rap legend Kurtis Blow is special guest emcee for this new holiday tradition celebrating love, community and the magic of New Year’s Eve.

Air Play
Discipline: Circus
Dates: Jan. 4-15, 2021
Audience: Elementary and Middle School
Circus and science collide in a gorgeous homage to the power of air. flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites floating over the audience, and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen will make you gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts.

Black Violin
Discipline: Music Concert
Dates: Jan. 19 through Feb. 26, 2021
Audience: All grades
Black Violin is composed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil B. and Kev Marcus, who combine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.” Black Violin has shared stages with top names including Kanye West, Aerosmith and Tom Petty, and has creatively collaborated with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, and Alicia Keys. Black Violin’s most recent record, Stereotypes, debuted at No. 1 on Classical Crossover Chart and at No. 4 on the  Billboard R&B Chart.

Other programs are scheduled for later in the school year.

For more information, contact education@arshtcenter.org.


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