July 5, 2007

Following five weeks of dance classes provided by an instructor affiliated with the USA International Ballet Competition (IBC), children at Operation Shoestring’s Summer Day Camp will showcase what they have learned in an upcoming performance. The program will be presented at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, at Operation Shoestring located at 1711 Bailey Avenue in Jackson. Friends, family and the general public are invited to attend this free event.

“This is my first summer to teach creative movement classes for the USA IBC Summer Arts Camp,” said dance instructor Bridget Archer. “I’m so excited about sharing this experience in the performing arts with these inner-city children because this program offers educational and creative arts components they might not be familiar with.”

The first USA IBC Summer Arts program was held in the summer of 1996. The program is now conducted in conjunction with Operation Shoestring’s Summer Day Camp and offers a series of bi-weekly creative movement classes for the children.

“We’re providing opportunities for children to experience the arts through creativity, self-discipline and team work,” said Sue Lobrano, executive director of the USA IBC. “The USA IBC Summer Arts Camp is more than just a dance class. It is a way for children to express themselves in movement.”

This program is made possible in part by funds from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

For more information about the USA IBC's Summer Arts Camp, click here.