WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CityDance,
a D.C. non-profit dance organization, was awarded the National Arts and
Humanities Youth Programming Award (NAHYP) for its after-school DREAM
program today at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities presented the award to CityDance DREAM Director Kelli Quinn and DREAM student Valeria Cruz.
Each year the NAHYP award
recognizes the nation's leading after-school programs for their use of
arts and the humanities to increase academic achievement, graduation
rates, and college enrollment. This year CityDance was among the 12
honorees selected from a pool of more than 285 nominations across the
country, and the only organization hailing from the nation's capital.
"The evidence is crystal clear. We
know what arts means to kids. Kids who get involved in the arts or
humanities have higher grades. They have higher graduation rates. They
have higher college enrollment rates," said Mrs. Obama at today's
ceremony.
CityDance DREAM is an after-school
program that provides dance classes and performance opportunities,
mentoring, and tutoring to students in Washington, D.C.'s
most underserved communities. CityDance DREAM uses dance as a pathway
for youth to graduate high school and discover and pursue their full
potential.
"One out of three high school
seniors in our nation's capital did not graduate last year. CityDance
DREAM is embarking on a bold undertaking to address the dropout issue in
the communities that we serve. We have witnessed the significant impact
of our programs on our student's lives. It is a huge honor for us to be
recognized by the First Lady and the President's Committee on the Arts
and the Humanities," said CityDance Executive Director Alexe Nowakowski.
CityDance was also selected by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
to anchor a new arts center in downtown D.C., The DREAM Center for
Dance, which will provide a home for CityDance's DREAM participants. "I
have had the opportunity to see the CityDance DREAM program in action
and have personally witnessed the impact their programs have on our
young people's lives. DREAM's longstanding commitment to our youth,
especially those from the District's most challenged neighborhoods,
makes them a cultural treasure for our city," said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Scheduled to open in 2018, The
DREAM Center for Dance will be equipped with state-of-the-art dance
studios, a black box theater and academic suites. With the use of these
new facilities, DREAM programming will expand to triple the number of
students served, as well as offer intensive dance training and
integrated academic, college preparatory and family services. CityDance
will be kicking off the DREAMbuilders campaign to solicit funding to
support these efforts.
To learn more about the CityDance DREAMBuilders campaign, visit citydance.net. For more information about the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, visit www.pcah.gov.
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