Non-profit dance programs multiply

More opportunities for children to dance with no cost

By Stephanie Lanyi

Published Dec. 4, 2006

As children run into the dance studio at Windfall Dance Company in Bloomington, Ind., the room is filled with laughter and excited voices. At Windfall, children who cannot usually afford the luxury of extra-curricular activities are able to participate in non-profit dance programs.              

Hilary McDaniel-Douglas, co-founder of Project In Motion, a non-profit dance company in Bloomington, describes the trend of non-profit dance companies as a growing one in Bloomington.

“In the long run, we don’t really make enough money to be a for-profit, and since we make so little it really does make sense for us to be non-profit,” says McDaniel-Douglas.

Project In Motion is among several dance companies in Bloomington that are non-profit organizations. These organizations, along with many other dance companies that have been established for local youth in Bloomington, are beginning to multiply at a growing rate.

The history

Project In Motion was started in 1998 by Stephanie Scopelitis, an IU-graduate and former member of the Alwin-Nicolais company, and Debbie Knapp, an IU-graduate who also founded Windfall Dance Company, another local non-profit organization formed in 1978 that also offers several programs for local teens.

After the Windfall School of Dance disbanded in 1985, the Windfall Youth Ensemble began in 1987 for young dancers to choreograph and perform. Windfall offers other programs, such as the Reading Through Movement Literacy Program and Parallel Differences, a teen performance group.

Windfall Youth Companies provide a supportive, comfortable, and challenging environment for youth to develop dance technique, choreography, and performance skills, according to the official Windfall Dance Company website.                

The issues

What these non-profit dance companies have in common is their dedication to spreading diversity and culture through dance and art to the youth of Bloomington. With the increasing number of dance programs that are becoming available to Bloomington youth, the opportunity for children to be more involved in arts and culture is greater.

“The last all-ages performance we did was at a garden party,” McDaniel-Douglas says. “The crowd of 300 loved it. Four-year-olds dressed up as violets and others all the way up in age.”

At the Windfall Youth Ensemble, the company strives to offer a healthy and safe setting for youth to explore, through dance, a range of topics, while developing life skills such as self-esteem, positive attitude and teamwork, according to the Windfall website.

The Literacy Project, also created by Windfall Dance Company, is directed by Kay Olges, who has been a speech pathologist for over 25 years. She is also an active member of Windfall.

The Literacy Project seeks to reach children who learn differently through movement and dance. According to Windfall’s website, current research documents the existence of different types of learners. The Literacy Project connects literature and curriculum with movement and music, creating an opportunity for students to learn effectively.

Photograph by Stephanie Lanyi Two students are engaging in a ballet class taught at Windfall on Monday nights. Windfall offers a variety of dance classes during the week.

The future

Set for the spring of 2007 is the Pre-College Contemporary Dance Program, offered to children of the community ages 4-18 and adults. The program seeks to bring professional instruction of modern dance into the community.

“The Pre-College Program teaches its students the fundamentals of dance and emphasizes cultural importance,” says Elizabeth Shea, IU’s Contemporary Dance Program’s coordinator.

Shea is working on getting the program up and running, along with Jennifer Adam, the Pre-College Program’s coordinator.

With so many programs available to the public, and students at IU, cultural and dance awareness is on the rise, according to Shea. 

These non-profit dance companies have been established to offer children and teens of Bloomington the opportunity to be involved in dance. They also give dedicated dancers the chance to teach their craft.

“There are a lot of artists in Bloomington and not enough work for them,” says McDaniel-Douglas. “Bloomington is an arts oasis.”

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