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CLEARWATER,
- Robert A. Freedman, President and CEO of PACT, Inc.,
announced today the schedule of events surrounding the
Sunday, February 2 opening of the new Marcia P. Hoffman
Performing Arts Institute, the 17,872 square feet facility
built to enhance the education program at Ruth Eckerd
Hall, already the largest of its kind in the state of
Florida. The free community event taking place from
12:30 to 5:30 p.m. will feature tours of the new Institute,
sample classes, opportunities to meet instructors, enrollment
for the Winter/Spring session and performances by Eckerd
Theater Company, African ballet company-Dundu Dole,
the Pinellas County Youth Symphony, percussionist Alvon
Griffen with students from the Pinellas County Arts
Council's Youth Arts, students from Next Stop Broadway
and Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Clown College
graduate and mime instructor Ian Beck.
The
opening ceremonies will begin with a call to the community
featuring a drum corps atop the new deck of the recently
renovated Margaret Heye Great Room at 12:30 p.m. on
February 2, 2003. "A collection of artists, teachers
and community members will lead a procession from the
former, cramped four room education building to the
new facility with 12 wonderful teaching spaces and new
administrative offices," says Freedman. A dedication
will follow with a ceremonial ribbon cutting occurring
at 1:00 p.m.
At
1:15 the performances in the new 182 seat Murray Studio
Theater will begin, as well as the sample classes and
tours. A detailed scheduled of events is available at
rutheckerdhall.com.
The
Institute will offer classes in the performing and visual
arts for students as young as 3 months up to senior
citizens. " The Exploratory Division will offer
classes for those interested in flexing their creative
wings, while the Professional Preparatory Division requires
an audition for those with the experience and/or the
desire to pursue a career in the performing arts,"
says Freedman.
Sample
classes and workshops offered on opening day include:
- Classical
Babies
The class focuses on interaction between parent and
child through music and musical games.
- DanceFirst
with Janet East
Young children will be introduced to the basic steps,
posture and stances of Jazz, Ballet, Modern and Folk
dance.
- Recycled
Percussion with Alvon Griffen
Using materials from at home and the world around
us, students will explore the world of rhythm and
music.
- Mime
Workshop with Ian Beck
- Adult
Improvisation with Richard Schaal
- Artistic
Expression for Seniors with Sandy Snyder
Visual arts and crafts set to music in a relaxed environment.
The
opening of the Marcia P. Hoffman Institute for the Performing
Arts marks the completion of a landmark phase of the
$28 million capital campaign. As a result of the gift
by the family of Marcia P. Hoffman, the "Setting
the Stage for Future Generations" campaign for
the renovation and expansion of Ruth Eckerd Hall has
now reached close to $23 million. The campaign has also
met the criteria of the $1 million Kresge Foundation
Challenge Grant and the Eckerd Challenge Grant. The
main stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall is scheduled to close
this summer on May 12, re-opening in November of 2003,
in time for the 20th Anniversary season. The Institute
and the Margaret Heye Great Room will remain open.
Since
its inception in 1983, Ruth Eckerd Hall has presented
the finest quality programming in all disciplines of
the performing arts. POLLSTAR recently nominated Ruth
Eckerd Hall for Theater of the Year, 2002. Ruth Eckerd
Hall's education program, the largest of its kind in
the state of Florida, has touched more than 1.5 million
people with a commitment to life-long learning through
the arts. Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 McMullen
Booth Road, Clearwater, FL, 33759. For information on
making a contribution to the campaign, prospective donors
should call Kathy Short Rabon at 727-791-7060. For more
information on the Institute, please call 727-791-7060
or visit rutheckerdhall.com.
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