December, 2015- Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Partners with inSIGHT Through Education, Inc. to Bring LIGHT/ The Holocaust & Humanity Project to More Than 1,500 Palm Beach County Students
(West Palm Beach, FL) – Florida is one of just seven states that includes Holocaust education in its state standards, and recently more than 1,500 Palm Beach County students in grades 7-12 attended the ballet LIGHT/ The Holocaust & Humanity Project, in support of educators’ efforts to enhance understanding of human rights. The special performance, held at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, was the result of a partnership between the Kravis Center and inSIGHT Through Education, Inc.
LIGHT/ The Holocaust & Humanity Project explores the devastating outcomes of unlearned lessons revealed through the story of a Holocaust survivor. The internationally acclaimed dance work by Ballet Austin’s Artistic Director/Choreographer Stephen Mills, which debuted 10 years ago, brings heartbreaking beauty to the stage and a timely reminder that injustice to one is injustice to all. The full-length contemporary ballet is a multidisciplinary human rights project that also includes art, education and public dialogue. LIGHT seeks to promote discussion against bigotry, hate and bullying among all community groups.
Mills, inspired by the true life story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren, created LIGHT as an artistic response to 9/11 and the idea of individual response to social injustices throughout the world. As he discusses in Ballet Austin’s Footnotes educational materials, “My hope is that this (ballet) sparks your interest, which in turn starts a conversation. People engaging in dialogue begin the process of positive change.”
As part of the program, Mills conducted a Master Class with ballet students at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts the day before LIGHT debuted at the Kravis Center, critiquing their technique and providing instruction. This was a special opportunity for local students studying the performing arts to train with a world-class artistic director and choreographer.
Centrally located in West Palm Beach, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is one of the premier performing arts centers in the Southeast with a renowned national and international reputation. Established as a leading force in the social fabric of the community, its many outreach programs are as broad and varied as the community itself. To date, the Center has opened the door to the performing arts for approximately 2 million school children. Please see the Kravis Center’s 2015-2016 education brochure by visiting: http://www.kravis.org/educationbrochure. For additional background on LIGHT/ The Holocaust & Humanity Project, please visit http://www.balletaustin.org/light/.