Description
Chamberlain Performing Arts is committed to presenting excellent ballet to enrich the
North Texas community, enlighten with arts education, and encourage through
outreach. Funded in part by individual and corporate
sponsorships, government and foundation grants, driven by their excellent Board
of Directors, and sponsored by the Chamberlain Performing Arts Guild, Chamberlain is able to offer several
professional quality productions throughout
each season. Educational and community outreach programs are a high
priority to the organization. Chamberlain Performing Arts is proud
of the longstanding partnership with The Boys and Girls Club of Collin County
through which they are able to offer free after school dance classes in the
North Texas Cities of Plano, Frisco, and McKinney. The After School Dance Program has provided
an introduction to the art of dance to thousands of underserved youth by
offering the opportunity to benefit from free dance classes, field trips,
performance opportunities, and a strong mentoring program since 1996. Chamberlain began The Shining Stars program
in January 2005 to offer a creative outlet to special needs students. This
program incorporates creative movement exercises, theatre, music, and group
work for students to explore their creativity in a safe and nurturing
environment, and reiterates the importance of personal and social growth and
development of these children as creative thinkers and movers. Chamberlain also participates in various education
programs with the Plano Independent School District including lecture
demonstrations and performances. The
organization also performs for groups at children's hospitals, nursing homes,
and retirement communities, as well as offers a free "Nutcracker Community
Connections Performance" season to clients of area social service and
non-profit agencies who would normally not have the opportunity to attend live
theatre during the Holidays. This
program has served over 22,000 residents of Collin, Dallas, and Denton Counties
since 1991.
Chamberlain
Performing Arts thrives on individual and corporate support. The organization also attributes its success
to the parent and community volunteers that aide throughout the year. Chamberlain Performing Arts has over 250
volunteers for the Nutcracker production alone, 17 volunteer board
members, and approximately 50 Chamberlain Performing Arts Guild
volunteers.
A
great pride of the organization lies in the successes of its dancers. Many of Chamberlain Performing Arts' dancers
were accepted and received advanced training at School of American Ballet,
American Ballet Theatre School, Austin Ballet Academy, Boston Ballet School,
Houston Ballet Academy, San Francisco Ballet School, Joffrey Workshop - New
York City, Joffrey Workshop - San Antonio, School of Pacific Northwest Ballet,
Royal Ballet School-London, England, Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami
City Ballet School, Orlando Ballet School, and The Broadway Theatre
Project. Former dancers have gone on to
higher education institutions such as The Juilliard School, North Carolina
School of the Arts, SMU - Meadows School of the Arts, Texas Christian
University, and Indiana University.
Professional careers have been established in such companies as American
Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet Nouveaux (CO),
Hartford Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Houston Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Ballet
Magnificat!, Ballet Mississippi, Neo Labos (NYC), and The Compagnie Maryse
Delente in Lyon, France. Former company
members have also started Broadway careers in shows such as Hairspray, The Steel Pier, Beauty and the Beast, Chicago,
as well as international tours.
