Camp Kinetic Curtain Speech

I have been told that there are few moments in life when you look around and realize in the moment that this will be one of your best memories - that, for the most part, my best memories will be made while I am totally unaware of anything more than a good time. As I sat down to reflect on this week’s camp and write this Director’s Note, I know for certain that this week will always be one of my best memories. At twenty years old, I have many dreams and this - Inspired Arts - is one that I hold most dear. I have always loved performing and the opportunity to share my passion with younger students has only served to further convince me that there are few things that can change lives quite like the arts. I have learned so much about the ways that an arts education can improve quality of life, influence success in school, or help heal trauma. I have seen how the arts community will band together to share their craft and how teenagers can prove that the self-centered stereotype is a myth.

This dream of mine would not have been possible without you. Inspired Arts runs on a completely volunteer staff of approximately 25 dancers, dance teachers, actors, singers, and leaders. That means that these 25 people have sacrificed an entire week of time out of their already busy summer to work (and work hard at that) completely free of charge. I look around and am astounded by their energy, kindness, and generosity. Additionally, donations and sponsorships from our community fund the necessary lunches, supplies, and behind the scenes costs of Inspired Arts - a sum of almost $6,000 in support through monetary and in-kind donations. I am humbled and honored to receive this support as it shows me that you not only believe in arts education, but trust me to use your donation to make the best possible impact on the world. Thank you for your faith. This week, approximately 40 middle school students joined us for classes in theatre, singing, hip hop, jazz, and lyrical. They worked on these skills for three days, rotating between classes. What you are about to see is a sample of the performances they have crafted in that time. What you won’t see on stage is what happens inside the students as well as the volunteers - all the great memories we made and the confidence we built while we created these small pieces. Our students worked hard - pushing through sore muscles, tricky melodies, and challenging scenes. They encouraged each other, laughed together, and inspired me at every turn. Our pieces may not be technically perfect in the critic’s sense of the word, but they have something better - heart. I believe the arts change lives. I believe teenagers can change the world. I believe that we all carry the potential to do something great, all that’s left is doing it.

Thank you for joining us for the 2017 Inspired Arts’ Showcase - “Kinetic.” I hope you had as much fun and left feeling a little more inspired, just like we did