me arts ed

Karen shares a story

Some of you remember Karen Montanaro from her performance at the statewide arts education The Arts Connect conference in October at Point Lookout. Or perhaps you watched her at the 2007 statewide arts conference at the Farnsworth Art Museum perform her soccer skit. She is a remarkable dancer and person who is magic to watch when she is working with children!

Recently I received a note from her that shared an email from a parent and coach of one of the 4th graders she had worked with. He gave her permission to share the contents of the email. Sometimes folks wonder about “boys and dancing”. This will give you something to think about.

I have been a basketball coach for 25 years for a range of age groups. Most recently I have been coaching elementary school aged children in Lakes Region. I had the opportunity to come see a number of my young athletes perform your dance program last week @ Songo Locks, and I was very impressed. You did a wonderful job with the children and it showed in their performance as well as on their faces.

More specifically, my son showed a real excitement for the opportunity to perform. I rarely see that much enthusiasm in him anywhere except the basketball court. I would like to give him an opportunity to try some more dance.

Again: Thank you very much for your time with the Songo Locks 4th graders. It was a wonderfully entertaining performance and a great experience for them.