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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April First Friday Classes Cancelled

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Due to our Ailey II performances April 5 – 7 at the Folly Theater, our First Friday classes at KCFAA have been cancelled. We hope you come to one or more of the performances and we will see you at First Friday in May!

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Setting the Stage Expands Public Performances

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Setting the Stage is a popular, multimedia program of African-American and American history with a focus on dance. Performances are presented both for the public and for schools. For the first time since its inception over a decade ago, the program will be expanding its public performance across the state line to inspire and educate Topeka audiences.

Learn more and get performance times and locations. >>

 

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Lace Up Your Dancing Shoes! – Gala 2018

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Gala 2018 is Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey’s (KCFAA) largest single fundraising initiative and a critical component of its budget. Proceeds from Gala benefit KCFAA’s 11 year-round education and youth development programs that will teach 25,000 children critical life skills through dance in 2018.

Tickets on sale now!

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Ailey Trio Cancellation – January 11, 2018

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Ailey Trio is cancelled tonight, Thursday, January 11, due to weather. So sad! Be safe and stay warm, friends!

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We’re Hiring!

Are you (or do you know) an experienced marketing and communications professional? KCFAA is looking for a highly qualified individual to fill the role of Director of Marketing for this incredibly precious organization.

https://www.npconnect.org/jobs/info/marketing-communications-director-of-marketing-849278

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#GivingTuesday is #GivingDanceDay at KCFAA

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KCFAA Spring concert 2017 Photographer Mike Strong

We see the inspiration on a daily basis. Our students light up the studio with eagerness to stretch their skills, to discover their limits and then push themselves even further. Our dedicated teaching artists guide each student carefully, assessing angles, efforts, and angst.

In the schools, our teaching artists are greeted by hundreds of students every week. Alvin Ailey determined that dance should be accessible to all people, and at KCFAA we take that mission very seriously as we bring workshops to more than 200 schools each year.

YOU make it possible. #GivingTuesday comes one day a year asking you to pause for a moment before you’re too deep into the holiday frenzy and donate to a charity that makes a meaningful difference—like Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. Your gift not only brings a smile to a youth’s face today but clarity, discipline, and self-empowerment for a lifetime.

Donate Today
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Spencer Fane Pledges $50,000 to Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 6, 2017

Kansas City, Mo. – Spencer Fane LLP is making a three-year commitment to support Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA), a nonprofit whose mission is to make dance accessible to all people. Through performances and innovative arts education programs, KCFAA teaches more than 25,000 youth annually critical life skills through dance and models interracial and multicultural community partnerships.

KCFAA is the only presenter of New York’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II in Kansas City and is the official second home of the groundbreaking modern dance company. Spencer Fane will contribute $50,000 to KCFAA over the next three years as part of its ongoing support of arts organizations in the Kansas City area.

“The wonderfully generous support from Spencer Fane enables us to reach hundreds more area youth and support their overall health and well-being through the arts,” said Harlan Brownlee, CEO of KCFAA. “We’re very grateful to Spencer Fane for its commitment to our mission, to the arts, and to our children.”

In addition, Spencer Fane will serve as the presenting sponsor of the KCFAA Author Series, a new annual event designed to highlight artists whose work is timely and relevant to diversity, dance and the arts. Proceeds from the Author Series benefit KCFAA’s 11 educational and studio programs, including its six-week summer AileyCamp.

“KCFAA has improved the lives of countless young people and their families in our community, providing opportunities to learn the skills of creative communication, critical thinking and collaboration through dance,” said Pat Whalen, Chair of Spencer Fane. “As a firm dedicated to making a positive difference in our community, we are thrilled to be involved with KCFAA, and we want to help it thrive and remain a bright fixture in our arts community for years to come.”

The Spencer Fane and KCFAA collaboration is part of the firm’s overall Charitable Giving Program, which aims to provide significant support to select local nonprofit arts organizations through a $50,000 donation to each over the course of three years. The primary goal of the program is to encourage long-standing relationships with nonprofit organizations and provide Spencer Fane employees with additional opportunities to become involved and positively impact the community.

“By making this multi-year commitment, Spencer Fane provides our organization the opportunity to sustain our current programs and create new ways to inspire Kansas City youth,” said Godfrey Riddle, Director of Development for KCFAA. “We are excited about working with Spencer Fane to bring the arts to more people in our region.”

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About Spencer Fane
Spencer Fane is a full-service business law firm focused on providing results that move clients and their businesses forward. With direct access to firm leadership and a different approach to client engagement, its attorneys instill confidence and certainty that the clients’ interests are the firm’s priority. The firm has offices in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo.; Overland Park, Kan.; Jefferson City, Kansas City, Cape Girardeau, Springfield and St. Louis, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Dallas, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz., and Las Vegas, Nev. For more information, visit spencerfane.com or follow @spencerfane on Twitter.

About Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey began his relationship with Kansas City in 1968, when he first brought his groundbreaking modern dance company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) to the city for performances.  As he shared his developing vision of a second home for his growing company, Kansas City community organizations, civic leaders, arts groups and financial partners responded. In 1984, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) was created as the official second home to this remarkable company.

KCFAA encourages diversity of people and ideas through its organizational structure, uniting people across racial, ethnic and social barriers to promote awareness, respect, friendship, and ultimately, community-wide social change. Through performances and educational programs, KCFAA has reached more than 1 million people in the Kansas City community.

Contact: Pam Hausner | pam@kcfaa.org

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