Education & Outreach Programs

Dance Alabama! Tour

DA! Tour at a Performance Many rural areas in Alabama have limited access to the arts, so the Dance Alabama! Tour was initiated to engage and educate those regions by awakening interest, excitement, imagination and creativity to those areas that have historically had limited exposure to the arts, particularly dance. Sponsored by the Alabama Touring Artists Program through the Alabama Council on the Arts, this program provides opportunities for a limited number of underserved schools to book a performance by Dance Alabama! These performances include study guides that help teachers connect the performance to on-going curriculum through preparation and follow-up activities. Invitations to participate are sent to targeted schools each fall, and performances are scheduled each year between February and May. This program is free to schools and does not require matching funds.

Dance Alabama Film Festival/Montevallo Elementary School

The purpose of the collaboration between Dance Alabama! Film Festival (DAFF) and Montevallo Elementary School is to enrich the experiential learning of the younger generation interested in the arts as a whole. With the guidance of students from The University of Alabama within the departments of dance, music composition, and film and television production, your students will be given the opportunity to choreograph, film and perform their own screen dances. The final dance-for-film works will be presented for the students to see their creation as well as those of their peers. This sharing process encourages and inspires students and choreographers alike within a learning environment like the one you have cultivated.

High School Dance Day

High School Dance Day offers high school students the opportunity to participate in a day of dance workshops with our outstanding students and faculty members. Offered every spring, the day includes workshops, lunch, and a ticket to Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre.

Date: March 4th, 2023

Capstone Christmas

Capstone Christmas is one of the highlights of DHSA’s year and the organization’s biggest philanthropy event! Dance students dedicate their time to choreograph and rehearse original holiday dances that are then performed in a showcase at Capstone Village retirement community on The University of Alabama’s campus. The past two years, DHSA has partnered with local dance school, Druid City School of Ballet, to include excerpts from The Nutcracker in the showcase, which are performed by DCSB students alongside UA dancers. This is one of DHSA’s favorite events each year, and the organization is honored to have been able to continue this tradition through the years both in-person and virtually!

Cerebral Palsy Engagement Workshop

Through creative movement exercises and brief exposures to many styles of dance, participants with cerebral palsy are engaged in the art of dance. These weekly workshops are taught by a group of dance students on UA’s campus.