30 Apr 2002
Extravaganza Showcases Talents of Learning Center Students
DALLAS–The yellow brick road leads to Broadway for the Dallas Independent School District performing and visual arts students participating in the fine arts extravaganza Thursday, May 2, at the Dallas Convention Center Theater.
Sponsored by the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, the annual event showcases the talents of the fine arts students who attend the DISD's 16 learning centers. The evening begins with an art exhibit at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. The theater is located at 650 S. Griffin. The performance is free to the public.
With the theme 2002...Broadway Bound, students will sing and dance to tunes from Broadway musicals such as Sound of Music, The Wiz, Smoky Joe's Cafe and Beauty and the Beast. The more than 300 performers consist of the combined talent pool of the students who are taking band, orchestra, piano, dance and theater arts at the district's learning centers, said Shirley Ison-Newsome, area superintendent, who oversees the centers.
"When the curtain opens, the audience will be treated to the songs and sounds of memorable musicals," she said. "With their renditions of the music that came alive on Broadway, the young performers will have the opportunity to showcase in a full-size theater what they have been learning in the classroom."
The learning centers are located in South, West and East Dallas. The centers, mandated by a federal court order, are not only designed to allow students to attend a school in their neighborhood, but also to enhance their educational opportunities such as exposing them to the fine arts.
For information about 2002...Broadway Bound, a fine arts extravaganza, contact Billie Roberts at (972) 794-3950.