SAAC to offer summer ballet camps for different ages

Instructors: Ballet instructors Cami Lowrey, Stephanie Lowrey and Elizabeth Wood will host two summer ballet camps, “Mother Goose Meets Mozart” for students in kindergarten through third grade and “The Adventures of Peter Pan” for those in fourth through 12th.
Instructors: Ballet instructors Cami Lowrey, Stephanie Lowrey and Elizabeth Wood will host two summer ballet camps, “Mother Goose Meets Mozart” for students in kindergarten through third grade and “The Adventures of Peter Pan” for those in fourth through 12th.

The South Arkansas Arts Center has announced two summer ballet camps designed for different ages and levels of experience.

Ballet Camp Jr. is scheduled for June 3-7 for students in kindergarten through third grade, while ballet camp for dancers in grades fourth through 12th will meet Aug. 5-10.

SAAC ballet instructor Stephanie Lowrey is excited to offer a ballet camp this year designed specifically for younger dancers. Previous ballet experience is not necessary. At this camp, students will be introduced to the classical music of Mozart and the art of classical ballet. Lowrey will give students an overview of basic ballet steps and show students how ballet steps can be combined to choreograph a complete dance. Students will also see how dance can be used to tell stories.

At the end of the week, students will perform a few dances that tell the story of some famous Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, such as “The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” and “Little Miss Muffet.” The young dancers will also get to help create the set for their performance and their own costumes.

“I’ve had the idea for this ballet camp in my mind for quite some time,” Lowrey said, “and I’m very excited to see it come to life. I think it is going to be really fun to tell the story of these nursery rhymes through dance.”

The camp will run from 1-5 p.m. June 3-7, with a performance of “Mother Goose Meets Mozart” at 5:30 p.m. June 7.

SAAC will also offer ballet camp for older students running Aug. 5-10. Students in grades fourth through sixth will meet from 1-5 p.m. and those in grades seventh through 12th will meet from 3-7 p.m., with a performance at 2 p.m. Aug. 10 in SAAC’s Callaway Theater.

Current SAAC ballet instructors Stephanie Lowrey and Cami Lowrey, as well as SAAC’s newest ballet instructor Elizabeth Wood, are excited about this year’s ballet camp. Previous summer ballets have included “Where the Wild Things Are,” “The Lion and the Mouse,” “The Rainbow Fish,” “The True Story of the Big Bad Wolf” and “Alice in Wonderland.” SAAC ballet camps are unique in that students not only take rigorous classical ballet classes but also perform an original mini-ballet over the course of one week. Students will be involved in all aspects of the production including costume design, set construction and developing parts of the choreography.

This year’s ballet, “The Adventures of Peter Pan,” was chosen by Cami Lowrey, who is both a SAAC instructor and a ballet student.

“I have always loved Peter Pan and have been fascinated by the fantasy of Neverland,” Cami Lowrey said when asked why she wanted to create a ballet based on the classic story. “Creating this ballet will be a challenge as we try to encapsulate Peter’s shadow, flying and magic in the choreography; however, I am confident that our dancers will have enough talent to truly capture the mystique of Neverland and am excited to see how our version of this story develops.”

“The instructors are hoping to see many returning and new faces at ballet camp this year,” added Stephanie Lowrey. “Dancers from all studios are welcome at ballet camp as there will be many roles to fill in this summer’s ballet. It is always exciting to see new dancers take the stage at SAAC.”

Registration for all summer camps is open in the SAAC office. For more information, call SAAC at 870-862-5474 or visit saac-arts.org. SAAC is located at 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado.

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