Arts After School at SOPAC

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) expands its 2010-11 Arts Education programs to include a range of opportunities for kids of all ages ranging from six to 17.  New to the roster this year is the New Jersey Youth Theatre program.  In addition, SOPAC offers TADA! Youth Theater, a musical theatre program perfect for honing the singing, dancing, and acting skills of future Broadway stars, and Lydia Johnson Dance Classes, a weekly dance class program teaching the technique of ballet and choreography.  

TADA begins its fall session this week. On Wednesdays, from 4:00 - 5:00p.m, Creative Musical Play for grades K-1 focuses on dramatic play while teaching the essential elements of musical theater.  From 5:00 until 6:30p.m. Musical Theater Skills Building for grades 2-5 teaches music, dance and theater skills. Music is drawn from TADA!'s repertoire of over 30 original musicals which were written expressly for performance by children.

Lydia Johnson Dance offers Monday classes this fall. From 4:00-5:00p.m., Intro to Ballet & Choreography for Grades Pre-K/K is taught, followed by Ballet & Choreography for Grades 1-4 from  5:00-6:00pm. Ballet & Choreography II for Grades 4-11 including beginners, follows at 6:00 p.m. and Ballet for Teens & Adults is from 7:30-8:30pm. Final Performances: Jan 3 & Jan 10.

New Jersey Youth Theatre offers Musical Theatre I (students 8–11 years of age) and Musical Theatre II (students 12-18 years of age), both on Thursday afternoons.  Musical Theatre Classes focus on solo song selection, presentation and interpretation for audition and performance; ensemble work; voice technique/projection (use of the diaphragm); musical theatre movement and dance.  Musical Theatre II will move at more accelerated pace than Musical Theatre I, and will be more advanced. Final Performance: Apr 12.

Registration for Youth Theatre classes will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, at SOPAC.  To register for other classes, click here.