Community Engagement through Dance

Wellspring's Community Engagement through Dance programming annually serves more than 3,000 youth and adults, with a focus on providing dance education and arts engagement experiences for minority, low-income and at-risk individuals.

All of Wellspring's outreach programs involve the beauty of engaging individuals in freedom of body movement and participation in the creative process. Modern dance is by nature an expressive and abstract art form rather than an imitative and/or representational one. It allows for personal, physical expression without common cultural constraints relating to physical size, age, sexual orientation, gender identification or level of athleticism. Wellspring endeavors to embody the same inclusiveness in all of its programming.

Dance for Youth Scholarship Program

Wellspring offers scholarship opportunities to minority and at-risk youth recruited through contacts with schools, mentoring programs and community groups providing students with the opportunity to take classes at the Wellspring Theater and to perform in the annual Student Concert .

Dance in the Schools

Wellspring's highly acclaimed Dance in the Schools is a free program offered to third-grade classes at public schools chosen for their high percentage of minority/at-risk students. The program brings modern dance to children and offers them the unique opportunity to work with professional artists. Dance in the Schools teaches basic concepts of body awareness, non-verbal expression, creativity, self-esteem, choreography and performing. Wellspring extends the outreach beyond the classroom by providing class scholarships and free concert tickets to selected students.

Wellspring Dance Day

Wellspring opens the Wellspring Theater to dancers and non-dancers of all ages to enjoy a free performance by the company and the opportunity to try a mini-dance class.

Discount Concert Ticket Program

Wellspring offers deeply discounted tickets to partnering schools, community groups and senior residences to encourage audience participation from financially challenged and underserved populations.

Support for Community Engagement through Dance

Community Engagement through Dance is supported in part by individual donations to the Wellspring Annual Fund Campaign, the Arcus Gay and Lesbian Fund, the Arts Fund of Kalamazoo County through the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Arts Outreach Fund of Kalamazoo County through the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Region 15 Minigrant program of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts, the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the John E. Fetzer Institute Fund, the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, and Marshall Fields Gives.