Supporting the arts and making a difference in our community is important to Stanton PR & Marketing. The firm and its people support a number of worthy causes. One of the organizations we support is the Joyce Theater Foundation, where we are a proud sponsor of The Joyce Theater Family Matinee.
For those unfamiliar with the program, the Joyce Theater Family Matinee presents abridged, family-friendly performances on weekends to provide a young audience with exposure to an eclectic variety of contemporary dance troupes and styles from around the world, and to help them think critically about dance. Following the performances, young audience members have the opportunity to meet and engage with the artists, as well as visit backstage to get a glimpse of the dancers’ perspective and see what’s involved behind the scenes when it comes to executing a performance.
I have had the opportunity to take my daughter to several Joyce Theater events, which have featured a number of different styles and presentations. In the most recent performance we attended, the theater was pitch black in one piece and all you could see were hands dancing. Yet, the audience could literally feel the artists. It was amazing to experience how much physical effort and energy went into a performance that you couldn’t actually see taking place.
It’s always interesting to hear the thoughts about sophisticated dance routines from a young person. As my daughter has matured so, too, have her observations on the different genres of dance evolved. After every performance I can see the impact the exposure to live dance performances has on her, which usually translates into her dancing and singing around the house in a more graceful and controlled fashion than she might otherwise would have done.
At one performance, when she asked one of the artists when they started dancing, the dancer responded, “At the age of 2.” My daughter was surprised and perhaps slightly intimidated at the dancer’s response, but it was a good lesson about the results of hard work, dedication and focus.
For more information about The Joyce Theater Family Matinee, please visit https://www.joyce.org/education/, and learn about how you can support the Joyce at https://www.joyce.org/support/donate.
Photo via Joyce Theater