Dance for Charity

Dance Workshop 2 “Dance for Charity” 8 Week Beginning Ballet Program

FREE for Teens and Adults

Lina Downes, Director of Dance Workshop 2 and strong supporter of World Vision, a nondenominational Washington based charity aid organization, is combining her passion for teaching with her commitment to service by offering a program to teens and adults entitled “Dance for Charity”. Beginning Sept. 27th, 2017, Dance Workshop 2 will offer a FREE 8 week beginning ballet program designed to promote the art of ballet with the opportunity to benefit East African famine aid through World Vision.

Dance Workshop 2 has room for up to 17 dedicated beginning ballet students (13+ years) to attend 8 weeks of classical ballet classes, taught by studio Director Lina Downes and guest teacher Julie Hagn, absolutely free of charge. Experienced dancers are also encouraged to join. The classical ballet classes will be based on beginning Vaganova Russian Ballet technique, and will be informative as well as expressive and fun – all for a great cause. This is a great way to learn, commit to greater good, and stay active during the Fall and Winter months!

World Vision is one of four major organizations involved in the famine aid to East Africa. It is currently helping famine stricken East Africans through provision of food, water, and humanitarian aid. World Vision has already helped 1 million people and is currently working towards helping another 2.7 million.

The World Health Organization estimates that 30% of children who live in East Africa’s famine stricken zones are in danger of dying of starvation within three months! As the hunger crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia grows daily, this is considered a “severe category of emergency” by UNICEF and the UN.

“Food distribution is critical to fight hunger’s advancement. We are the largest partner with the World food program globally,” shares Chris Hoffman, director of humanitarian and emergency aid in East Africa for World Vision. “This is the worst hunger crisis there in a generation [since 1945]. Starvation is lurking on the doorsteps of hundreds of thousands of East African children.”

Lina Downes has her own personal experience with the organization, having sponsored poverty stricken children for the past twenty years through World Visions’ program. “I have been very impressed with their work for these children and their communities. I have also seen World Vision in action; I was in Indonesia during the catastrophic tsunami that killed over 300,000 in Sumatra” shared Downes.

The one-hour free classes will begin on Wednesday, September 27, 3:15 to 4:15 pm, and will meet every Wednesday through November 15. All classes will be held at the beautiful spacious Dance Workshop 2 studio in downtown Friday Harbor.

Students are expected to attend all 8 ballet classes and participate in two 45 minute ballet demonstration recitals at the end of the 8 week session. The culminating in-studio recital will not only include students from the program but also Dance Workshop 2’s more advanced ballet students and professional Turkish dancer Ferah Bakuy Uri. The November 18 & 19recitals will be open to the public at a cost of $10/ticket. All ticket proceeds will be sent on to World Vision collaboratively by the students involved in the eight week program.

Intermediate ballet students from Spring Street International School, Lydia Downs and Faith Embler, will assist Lina Downes as demonstrators and Lydia Downs will also serve as Treasurer to work with the class to prepare the funds for donation.

If ballet students wish to continue classes after the eight weeks session is over, Director Lina Downes will continue with another “8 Weeks for Charity” beginning after the holidays to benefit another charity. “This way beginning ballet students can progress in ongoing free classes and we can continue funding for charities!” explains Downes. “Each session the students will help choose which charity our program will benefit.”

• Who: For teens and adults wanting to learn ballet while supporting World Vision
• What: Beginning Ballet – Classical Vaganova Technique
• When: Class: Wednesdays 3:15 – 4:15PM. September 27 – November 15, 2017. Performances: Saturday 7PM & Sunday 2PM, November 18 & 19, 2017
• Where: Dance Workshop 2, 15 2nd St. Friday Harbor, WA
• Cost: Free!

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