Join us for Juneteenth at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art!

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KCFAA is honored to perform at the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art June 9!  Come celebrate with us and enjoy performances from our young, talented dancers.  Stay for additional performances and experience the music, demonstrations, dance, art and history this exciting event has to offer.

Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey Dance Performance
1:45-2:15 p.m. Atkins Auditorium | Enjoy dynamic dances under the choreography of Tyrone Aiken.

For more information on this event, click here.

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KCFAA to Participate in, Benefit From Topeka Gives

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KCFAA is a proud recipient of matched grants from Topeka Gives. Come  join us and show your support for the mission and vision of KCFAA on June 5!

How will your gift be used?

AileyCamp 2017 Missouri and Kansas final performance at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts.

$250 helps fund one week of tuition for a camper.
$90 helps fund one 50-minute dance workshop for 30 students
$35 provides dancewear for one AileyCamper

Each year, up to 30% of the Campers that attend AileyCamp Kansas for free (a $1,275 value per camper) come from the Topeka area. KCFAA works hard to cover the cost via donations from corporations, foundations, government agencies, community groups and individuals.

How will your gift be matched by Topeka Gives?
Through Topeka Gives, the Topeka Community Foundation is offering a pro-rated match and NOT a dollar-for-dollar match.

Is there a minimum or maximum donation amount?
There is a $25 minimum gift. While there is no maximum gift amount … The maximum amount to be matched per donor will be $1,000/organization with a five organization maximum. There also is a limit of 5 agencies per donor contribution.

Please join us Tuesday, June 5 at 7 a.m. at the Fairlawn Plaza, 2114 SW Chelsea Dr, Topeka, Kansas 66614.  For more information, click here.

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AileyCamp Celebrates 30 Years, Open Houses June 5 & 6

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Since its inception, AileyCamp, a program offered through Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA), has impacted the lives of more than 5,000 youth in the Greater Kansas City area.  This year, the program celebrates 30 years and welcomes 200 kids for a summer of fun and education. 

“Celebrating 30 years of AileyCamp is a true testament to the need in our communities.  We are filling that need by providing inspiration and education to kids with social, domestic and academic challenges,” said KCFAA Chief Artistic Director Tyrone Aiken.  “We are proud to honor the late Alvin Ailey’s vision of bringing the best in arts education to students across the U.S.”

AileyCamp is a six-week summer day camp that introduces students to the physical and mental elements of dance. Through dance education, campers increase their leadership skills and enjoy a variety of athletic and social activities. They learn that dance is challenging, fun, and helps them in school, in sports and in life!

This type of programming can be crucial to closing education gaps. By sixth grade, students in middle-income families receive more than 4,000 hours of afterschool and summer learning than students in low-income families. Each year, 100 boys and girls in Missouri and 100 boys and girls in Kansas are selected to attend AileyCamp for free (a $1,275 value per camper).  The cost is covered by KCFAA thanks to cash and in-kind donations from corporations, foundations, government agencies, community groups and individuals.

AileyCamp participants receive breakfast, lunch and daily dance classes — along with dance attire, dance shoes and a dance bag — as well as other creative communication instruction, such as spoken word, creative writing, visual arts, percussion or theater classes.

From day one, campers work toward an end-of-season presentation that highlights everything they learned, including that the arts require discipline, focus, flexibility and acceptance. “There are differences in all of the arts — how you can hear music or tell a story,” Aiken says.

Despite the deep, creative engagement opportunities, Aiken says the foundation and focus of the camp is personal development.

AileyCamp runs May 30 through July 7.  Campers will present the Joy of Dance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, July 7. 6:00 PM.

“Our youth have so much potential. Every year we’re looking for students to discover new possibilities and it’s exciting to see them grow, to graduate and move forward on their path to success,” Aiken said.

AileyCamp alum across the country have come back to support the program in one way or another.  Some have sent their own kids through the camp.  Others come back as teachers, staff members or volunteers.  With local, regional and national advocates for AileyCamp, Aiken hopes to see the program continue to grow – not only in the number of students they serve but in the amount of donations they receive.

Misty Copeland, the first African-American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, was interviewed on CNN this week discussing the importance of inclusion in dance and is pictured with AileyCamp participants.

“It costs a lot of money to provide this motivational experience to our kids,” Aiken said.  ““We invite everyone to welcome our campers at one or both of our open houses and learn more about AileyCamp.”

 

2018 AileyCamp OPEN HOUSES

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday June 5

Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts

4747 Flora Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday June 6

West Middle School

2600 N 44th St., Kansas City, KS 66104

 

Kansas City was awarded a competitive national grant from the Gannett Foundation to develop a replicable innovative summer program for middle school students in the KCMO School district. AileyCamp has received many awards and honors, including the prestigious Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and three federal agencies.  In Nov. 2016, Michelle Obama presented AileyCamp Miami with the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the highest honor for creative, out-of-school youth development programs.

For more information on AileyCamp and all of KCFAA’s programs, visit www.kcfaa.org 

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AileyCamp Celebrates 30 Years!

It’s that time of year when parents are thinking about summer camps for their kid(s). But, there’s only one in the Kansas City area that was inspired by the late Alvin Ailey and teaches and inspires youth through dance. This year, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) is celebrating 30 years of AileyCamp.

“I am excited to celebrate AileyCamp’s 30th anniversary and the wonderful partnerships created with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Kansas City Public Schools, Kansas City Kansas Public Schools and Topeka USD501,” said KCFAA Chief Artistic Director Tyrone Aiken. “Thousands of young people are inspired by Alvin Ailey and we are proud to honor his vision of bringing the best in arts education to students across the U.S.”

AileyCamp is a six-week summer day camp that introduces students to the physical and mental elements of dance. Through dance education, campers increase their leadership skills and enjoy a variety of athletic and social activities. They learn that dance is challenging, fun, and helps them in school, in sports and in life!

Each year, 100 boys and girls in Missouri and 100 boys and girls in Kansas are selected to attend the free, award-winning camp. Dance attire, meals, transportation, and field trips are provided. The cost of the six-week Camp ($1,275 per camper) is covered by KCFAA thanks to cash and in-kind donations from corporations, foundations, government agencies, community groups and individuals.

AileyCamp runs May 29 through July 6 and Campers will host a public performance at the end of camp.

“It is great to see the campers grow, apply the lessons they learned to life and sometimes come back to inspire the next generation of campers,” Aiken said. “We encourage everyone to support the campers and help KCFAA continue to offer this experience for 30 more years and beyond.”

Kansas City was awarded a competitive national grant from the Gannett Foundation to develop a replicable innovative summer program for middle school students in the KCMO School district. AileyCamp was designed to inspire urban youth, using dance to develop their self-esteem, self-discipline, critical thinking skills and creativity. KCFAA expanded AileyCamp into the neighboring KCKS District in 1999.

AileyCamp has received many awards and honors, including the prestigious Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and three federal agencies. For more information on AileyCamp and all of KCFAA’s programs, visit www.kcfaa.org.

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