28 May 2003
Arts Across America to Feature Jazz, Country and Western, Big Band, Spirituals and Gospels
DALLAS–The Dallas Independent School District Learning Centers will celebrate Arts Across America in honor of art forms with roots in the United States at the centers' 2003 Fine Arts Extravaganza at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29, at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the corner of Akard and Canton streets.
The event will showcase music, dance and dramatic presentations performed by students of fine arts in the district's 16 south, west and east Dallas learning centers. The performances will feature art forms that originated in the United States including jazz, country and western, big band, spirituals and gospels.
Narrated by J. W. Ray Learning Center teacher and gospel singer, Pat Kessee, the program will feature a 130-member band performing selections from John Sousa's repertoire and a 40-member orchestra performing selections by American composers. The theater arts students from George Washington Carver and Pearl C. Anderson learning centers will re-enact scenes from early television sitcoms, such as The Honeymooners and The Jeffersons . Dancers and handbell ringers will perform selections from the country and western, Latino, jazz and hip-hop genres. A135-member choir will close the program with spiritual and gospel music selections.
At 6:15 p.m., prior to the start of the show, visual arts students will exhibit art work in the foyer of the theater, entertainment will be provided by the honor guitar students from Cesar Chavez Learning Center and student artists from John F. Kennedy Learning Center will do live drawings.