An essential part of UCSB Arts & Lectures’s mission is to provide community outreach in the form of workshops and demonstration/performances by visiting artists and lecturers for students of local schools in various venues in the Santa Barbara area. Case in point: the recent residency of the famed Harlem Dance Theater Company the first week of November. It began with a “bus-in” of young students from the north county to the Granada Theatre for some quick lessons in the basics of ballet technique, including participation by the attendees (in their seats), some beautifully executed excerpts from the HDT repertoire and a chance for some of the kids to strut their stuff on stage. The whole thing really engaged the students who had a great time as evidenced by their enthusiastic response during the “selfie” of the company with a full house of loudly screaming kids wildly waving their arms in the background. There were also classes by ballet master Marie Chong and dancer Christopher McDaniels for some lucky UCSB Dance Dept. students.
