Whitney Sue Jones, who began taking classes at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre at age 4 and became one of its top dancers as a teenager, recently was named administrator of the Lawrenceville company’s school.
Now 26, Jones was hired to run the program serving 200 students on the strength of her work over the last two years leading GBT’s outreach initiative the Dance Project, which last year taught students from three Gwinnett County Title 1 schools.
Jones will administer the school (at GBT’s new five-studio facility at MacLeod Avenue and Sugarloaf Parkway, across from Gwinnett Technical College) while continuing to lead the Dance Project and while teaching 3rd grade at Winn Holt Elementary School.
Q: How does it feel to be running the dance school where you grew up, and what did you learn then that you hope to pass along to today’s students?
A: GBT has been my home away from home ever since I can remember. I would not be who am I today without the experiences I had as a student of GBT. I was taught to be confident and creative. I learned to hold myself to high expectations and to never give up in my quest to reach my goals. I always felt valued and loved.
Lisa Sheppard Robson, the artistic director when I was a student, has had an immeasurable impact on my life and continues to do so today. She made me feel like someone special. I feel so fortunate to be able to be a part of a school that has made such a difference in my life. I hope to continue the excellence of GBT and help provide a loving “home” to the students we nurture.
Q: Can you tell us about the work you’ve done with the Dance Project, which has grown from serving 20 kids to 130 over the last couple of years?
A: In 2013-2014, we served three schools and three grade levels (3rd, 4th and 5th) at each. A ($10,000 National Endowment for the Arts matching) grant funded their tights, leotards and shoes as well as tuition for 16 classes that we held on Saturdays. Some of these students had never taken dance. Others … had but were unable to continue due to financial reasons. All worked very hard and learned so much.
The project is focused on using dance to increase students’ self-confidence and self-esteem and to expose them to the arts. GBT plans to continue to grow the program to include more age levels and schools.
Q: What are your aspirations for your expanded GBT role?
A: I want to continue to grow our outreach. Gain more students. Maintain happy families. Raise talented dancers. And teach life skills that instill positive values in our students.
ARTS
A pass to a world of Jewish culture
For its just-launched 2014-2015 Arts & Culture Season, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) is offering a season pass for the first time. For $270, you can score a ticket to each of 14 events, including:
- The Andy Statman Trio performing a blend of bluegrass, Klezmer, jazz, Americana and Hasidic song, Oct. 19.
- The MJCCA Youth Ensemble presenting "Disney's The Aristocats Kids," Dec. 15 and 16.
- "Fried Chicken and Latkes, A Rain Pryor Solo Show," presented in partnership with Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company, Jan. 15-17. Pryor recounts her upbringing in a biracial Beverly Hills household, including how she learned to embrace her African-American roots, her Jewish ancestry and her father Richard's unique style of parenting.
- Lightwire Theater from New Orleans presenting "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Tortoise and the Hare," merging multimedia technology with movement and theater, Feb. 8.
Meanwhile, the MJCCA has announced a slate of free art exhibits, including the just-opened “Gods Change, Prayers Are Here to Stay,” paintings by Brooklyn artist Archie Rand based on a poem of the same name by the late Israeli writer Yehuda Amichai (through Nov. 30); and “Chalom Yashan (A Journey Back Home),” Israeli artist Hirut Yosef’s illustrations that draw on her Ethiopian roots and honor strong African women (January-March).
5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 678-812-4002, www.atlantajcc.org/boxoffice.
THEATER
Slam pushes puppetry’s edge
The Center for Puppetry Arts will presents the 2014 National Puppet Slam from Aug. 28 to 30, and, parents, this is not one for the kiddos. Sponsored in part by Dragon Con and the Puppet Slam Network, the three nights of curated short-form adult puppetry performances by artists from across the country is recommended for ages 18 and up.
The artistic expression covers a lot of territory, from “The Joshua Show: Trick Yourself Into Being Happy,” starring a grumpy sock puppet, to the rock opera “Moon Gas”; and “Sifters,” a story of love, loss and letting go told in silhouette, to “Hot Carl,” a black light, tabletop piece featuring a dancing skeleton.
All shows at 8 p.m., with a beer and wine bar open before curtain and during intermission. $18. 1404 Spring Street N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, puppet.org/perform/adult.shtml.
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