Learning about the arts

Center plans full fall program

The Rocky Mount Arts Center wants to see some bodies moving.

Six new dance and movement classes will join the center’s fall education line-up for adults and children, said Jennifer Rankin, arts education specialist. The first classes begin Sept. 7.

Providing variety and culture were important to putting together the 13 classes starting in September, Rankin said. They include classes on filmmaking, handbuilding with clay, social ballroom dancing, fabric design, doll making, painting and audition techniques.

“People will be able to experience some things that they may not be able to from other organizations or the school system. ... I think they are all very positive, enriching things that encourage people to learn and grow,” Rankin said.

Crystal Davis will teach five of the new movement classes. They include an introduction to dance for second- to sixth-graders, creative movement for 4- to 6-year-olds, a look inside the entertainment industry for seventh- to 12th-graders and body language for people 16 and older.

“I am also ... teaching an introduction to somatics, which is kind of an introduction to holistic forms of movement wellness,” said Davis, owner of the Movement Artistry Project. “I am hoping to give an introduction to people about what somatics means and how it might be useful in wellness arts and understanding the body.”

The sixth movement course, a ballroom dancing class for sixth- to ninth-graders, will teach the students different dance styles while helping them build self-confidence and social skills, Rankin said.

Class fees range from $20 to $125.

For details, call 972-1632.