saturday arts program

Building Our Community through the Exploration of Community-Building, Cultural Traditions & the Arts!

introducing

Beginning Saturday, February 5 – April 30, 2022, We are excited to launch a new extension of our Saturday programming, Communities!

Communities will feature dynamic Music, Dance, Drama, and Visual Arts classes for ages 3 yrs old – Adult, highlighting the powerful role that the arts play in creating and building communities around the world, and how artistic expression intersects with cultural traditions, societal constructs, customs, and more!

The program will be offered from February 5th – April 30th (There will be no programming on Saturday, April 16th). Each session will culminate with a free Community Celebration featuring presentations, performances, and exhibitions of participants’ work.

Classes include Island Beats & Hip Hop Dance, Intro to Ballet, Origami, 3D Modeling, African American Story Quilting, World Music, Multicultural Ceramics, Indian Sutra Dance and Warli Art, Creative Movement, Storytelling, and more! See below for class descriptions.

Rainey is excited to continue enriching our community through the exploration of creativity, diversity, and culture from communities across the globe!

unity through art

Arts Education at Rainey Institute deeply enriches and inspires a broad community of learners through a variety of new and exciting programs.  Through it’s multicultural and inter-generational classes, Communities will serve as a catalyst to unite and inspire our community as we learn, create and build together!

Complete Program: $215.00

Includes 4 classes each Saturday (48 total) + lunch & materials

*Payment Assistance Available

Select Class:
$95.00

Includes 12 sessions of your selected class.

*Availability Limited

STORYTELLING THROUGH DANCE

Storytelling Through Dance will introduce students to basic dance vocabulary, through exploring, reading, and creating stories. The stories read will be rooted in African American culture and written for children.

The class is intended to provide a foundation in ballet and movement, covering the 5 positions of ballet. Students will be encouraged to express themselves through movement, while building on a range of physical, cognitive, and social skills. The African drum-Djembe will be incorporated in some dance classes as well.

The class will culminate with a performance centered on students’ courage, belief in themselves, and kindness to others.

DANCE SUTRA CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Dance Sutra Cultural Exchange trains students in a series of movements to introduce Indian Contemporary and Classical Dance, and Martial Arts. These meditative movements help in strengthening the mind and body, and have a therapeutic effect on the learner, in addition to helping with their personal development.

Classes will also serve as a platform for creative freedom and innovation, through student-teacher collaboration and cultural exchange, leading to the most unique collaborative creations.

The class will culminate with a dynamic, choreographic performance.

ISLAND BEATS BASIC RHYTHMS

Students: 3rd – 8th Grades

Island Beats Basic Rhythms will break down the music, moves, steps, and cultural origins of Merengue, Salsa, Reggaeton & Bachata for children and adults. Games and other exciting activities will also be incorporated, to explore the roots of Island culture.

Dance routines will be taught for each rhythm and presented at the end of the program.

intro to ballet

Students: 3rd – 8th Grades

Created for eager, exploring, and energetic aspiring dancers, Intro to Ballet is perfect for children looking for new challenges and experiences. Classes will always begin with a warm-up centered on preparing both the brain and the body, leading students to demonstrate an increased ability to focus, and increasing body-awareness and control.

Various group activities and games will guide students to work as a team with respect for each other and for themselves.

Intro to Ballet requires no prior experience, and each 8-week session will conclude with the students performing their warm-up dance and self-selected favorite exercise(s) from the sessions. At the end of the 8 weeks, students can expect to be able to demonstrate the basics of ballet dance, increased control with large coordinated physical movements, increased control of small detailed physical movements, and an increased physical and emotional awareness and advocacy.

AFRICAN AMERICAN STORY QUILTING

African Americans have been quilting for as long as we have been in this country. While quilts were originally used for the practical purpose of providing warm bed coverings, even in those early days, they were also a medium through which stories could be shared. That tradition has continued to this day and now some quilts are viewed as an art form. African American quilters use their work to share family and community stories, issues, and history, as well as to express thoughts, feelings and opinions.

African American Story Quilting will teach and explore this rich artform. The class project will allow each student to design and create a story quilt as a piece of wall art. The culminating presentation will be in the form of a quilt show, and each piece will be displayed with a detailed description of the student’s story.

ORIGAMI BASICS

Origami Basics will teach students about the history of origami and its basic animal designs. Students will present folded animals at the conclusion of the session.

3D MODELING & PRINTING BASICS

3D Modeling & Printing Basics will provide students an understanding of how 3D printing works from design to print.

Each class will teach new ways to design 3D prints and the understanding of how they are made. The finished print will encourage exploring, creating, and collaborating together to create something new, which in turn builds a culture of inclusivity, creativity, and play.

Once projects are complete, students will showcase the printed pieces.

MULTICULTURAL CERAMICS

Students: 3rd – 8th Grades

Multicultural Ceramics will teach the basic techniques of ceramic sculpting, and will feature instruction and projects that are multiculturally-inspired and work best with intergenerational classes.

WEAVING DREAMS: INDIAN WARLI ART

Indian Warli Art will introduce students to the indigenous art of ‘Warli’ from India; and to the culture surrounding it. Students will learn basic concepts of the artform, which they can quickly replicate on various media, including paper, canvas, fabric, walls, and pottery.

The class aims to inspire students to communicate aspirations for their homes and communities through ‘Warli’ art, and to visualize and create an enlarged tapestry through which they can experience the joy and pride of creating something big and beautiful.

EVERYDAY ART

Everyday Art will explore art in an everyday context. What is the art that surrounds us everyday? What are things that we need and that we can make ourselves?

Using our environment as inspiration, the goal of the class will be to create art pieces that we can use, such as birthday cards, posters, business cards, and other handmade gifts. In addition, students will explore Japanese crafts and recreate their own versions, such as origami. Students will also plan their very own obentos. By the end of the session, the class will have created a small collection of crafts, and will leave with tools and knowledge to make them again in the future.

Paper, Ink, and Pressure Print Workshop

Paper, Ink, and Pressure Print Workshop offers students an experience with making multiple reproductions of artwork, using a repetitive medium of print-making. This medium has been employed all over the world in cultures such as the Olmecs in Mexico, the Akan in Ghana, and the Madhya Pradesh tradition from India.

Students will work on skills of subject design, composition, and the preparation of a printing plate. Different approaches to the goals of printing will be considered, from the esthetical expressions of pure graphic patterns to socially-involved subject matter.

Puppetry & Play

Puppetry & Play will teach and provide students the opportunity to create puppets and marionettes. Puppets are present in every part of the world, and are used to tell stories, entertain, and allow the children to use their imagination.

Students will sew, glue, paint, and create their own puppets and theater, and will put on a short story of their own creation!