Recent auditions for CityDance, an after-school ballet instruction program of the USA International Ballet Competition, drew 120 applicants, the largest number in the program’s 10-year history. Sixty students were chosen to participate and have been placed in the three levels of classes offered.
Through the support of sponsors, CityDance provides free ballet classes and dancewear for Jackson Public School students who are selected based on their flexibility, rhythm, and ability to follow dance instruction. Parents must be able to provide reliable transportation for their children to attend classes two afternoons a week throughout the school year in the Mississippi Arts Center in downtown Jackson.
Returning as instructor for 2013-2104 is Mia Whitehead of the Belhaven University Dance Department.
CityDance is made possible through the generous support of sponsors that include the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Greater Jackson Arts Council; Jazzy Dancer; Dick and Sally Molpus; Jim and Donna Barksdale; and the Charles Sumner Bird Charitable Foundation.