Phenomenology Helps Academy For The Fine Arts Find Funds For Dance Studio

Phenomenology, Inc., an innovative production model in the performing arts, stepped up to assist the Academy for the Fine Arts to raise ten thousand dollars in critical funds to finance a state-of-the-art dance studio for Frederick County Public School students.

AFA brings together approximately 100 students across 10 public high schools who are interested in learning visual art, dance, music, and theatre. Even though AFA serves students from all 10 FCPS high schools, it does not receive any direct funding and must rely on allotments from the general budget provided by Governor Thomas Johnson High School, where AFA is located.

"As a corridor for the performing arts, a core component of our mission is to provide high value resources and opportunities for professional, amateur and student artists in Frederick, Maryland," said Artistic Director and CEO of Phenomenology, Jeffery Keilholtz. "As soon as this need was brought to our attention, our team connected AFA to important partners that could help."

Keilholtz worked with AFA Coordinator, Jonathan Kurtz, to position the non-profit organization as fiscal sponsor for AFA, to attract grant funding. As a result, AFA secured financing through a generous grant from Delaplaine Foundation, Inc.

"We cannot thank our community partners enough for getting involved and recognizing our need. We have been waiting five years to create an adequate studio space for our dancers and we are excited to finally make that happen. These funds will allow our program to expand and add new areas of focus, with the goal of reaching more FCPS students to help them prepare for their post-secondary experience."

Funds will be used to install a sprung dance floor in a new studio space. To date, dance students share the TJ High School auditorium stage for rehearsal with theatre students. A new studio will allow dancers and actors to have adequate and separatee rehearsal spaces to meets the needs of each program.

For more information about Phenomenology visit: https://phenoart.org/.

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