bergenPAC & Arts for Life Offer ARTS FOR LIFE EXPO, Now thru 11/26

The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC and The Arts for Life Network of New Jersey presents Arts for Life Expo, a month of participatory classes for older adults in the performing, visual and literary arts. The classes will run today, October 30th -Tuesday, November 26th. The new Performing Arts School at bergenPAC will host the series, at the new Performing Arts School located at 1 Depot Square, Englewood, New Jersey.

The Arts for Life Expo provides hour-long experiential workshops at 11am and 1pm Mondays through Fridays in Acting, Appliqué, Dance Movement, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Drum Circle, Recorder, Ukelele, Creative Writing, and Poetry, taught by artist-teachers who are experts in their field. The fee is $15 for a single class, with discounts for 4 or more classes.

The Arts for Life Network of New Jersey (artsforlifenj.com) is the brainchild of Jacqueline Guttman, whose work in arts education and administration spans nearly 50 years. While working at an area music school, she noticed the unused classroom and studio space during the day during the week. A musician, she found herself wanting to take part in some of the school's programs - as a student. "Arts education should not stop when we graduate," she says, "it's a lifetime occupation!"

The health and psychic benefits of active participation in the arts has been documented extensively and, with older adults being the fastest growing age cohort in the nation and an unusually large demographic in Bergen County, a population is emerging that is eager to learn, create and explore new possibilities. In addition, many older artists now have the time to teach. The goal of the Arts for Life network is to help these groups find each other because, as Guttman says, "we can blossom at any age." The Expo aims to inspire people to reignite an old passion or find a new one, whether by studying an instrument, making art, acting, writing or dancing.

The Arts for Life Expo/ is sponsored by bergenPAC, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts grant funds administered by the Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. For more information and to register, call Arlene Grunfeld at 201-816-8160, ext. 35 or agrunfeld@bergenpac.org.

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS/SCHEDULE/ARSTIST-TEACHER BIOS:

Acting Workshop - Theatre games, improv and short scenes. No memorization required. Thursdays, 11 am

Michael Bias, founder and Artistic/Producing Director of The Garage Theatre Group, Teaneck, with over 100 plays and musicals to his credit.

Appliqué for Paper and Cloth - Collages created with patterned paper, cloth and yarn for still lifes, wall hangings, placemats and greeting cards. (Materials fee.) Tuesdays, 1 pm

Holly Ciccoricco, faculty, Art School at Old Church, Demarest. Exhibits in the area, private collections nationally and internationally.

Dalcroze Eurhythmics - Listen, respond and move spontaneously to music. For older adults, Dalcroze can significantly improve balance and coordination. Mondays 11 am

Leslie Upchurch, pianist and educator with a specialty in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. Teacher trainer, Carnegie-?Mellon's Dalcroze Studies program.

Drum Circle - Beginner or intermediate drummers. Hand techniques, syncopation, improvisation, and ensemble and solo playing. (Bring your own drum.) Wednesdays, 11 am

Kyle Rowland, performer, composer for film, TV and theater. Performed at Montreux Jazz Festival, throughout France and the Netherlands. Percussion and ukelele faculty, JCC Thurnauer School of Music, Tenafly.

Movement Sampler - Different dance styles incorporating fundamentals of breathing, posture, body alignment and mechanics. Fridays, 1 pm

Alexandra-Evangelia Stavrou, dancer/choreographer. Faculty, Center for Modern Dance Education in Hackensack. Performed and taught in US, Greece, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Original cast, "Einstein on the Beach."

The Pleasures of Poetry - Reading a selection of great poems leads to writing and sharing our own poems. Fridays, 11 am

Teresa Carson, associate publisher, CavanKerry Press. Assistant director, Frost Place Conference on Poetry and Teaching. Author, Elegy for the Floater (CavanKerry Press, 2008) andThe Congress of Human Oddities (VV-UC, 2012).

Recorder Ensemble - Recorder dates back to wandering minstrels. All levels will connect with music, meet friends and play in ensembles. (Bring your own recorder and music stand.) Thursdays, 1 pm

Amy Herbitter, Music Director, Morris Consort. Recorder soloist and coach and conductor for American Recorder Society in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Private studio.

Ukelele - You'll be playing by the end of the first lesson! No musical experience needed. For beginning uke players - basic melodies, scales, chords to well-known songs. (Bring your own ukelele.) Wednesdays, 1 pm

Kyle Rowland - See Drum Circle

Writers, Storytellers, and Daydreamers - Join our writing community and craft your memories and moments into short stories or essays. A toolkit of strategies and techniques to bring your writing to life. Tuesdays, 11 am

Beth Gerson, writer and educator with 30+ years experience. Facilitates senior writing workshop in Riverdale, NY. Member, Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Adjunct professor, Fordham University Graduate School of Education.

More Details at www.Artsforlifenj.com. bergenPAC is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ. Call (201) 227-1030 or visit www.bergenpac.org for more information.

About bergenPAC: Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area's cultural mecca. Housed in a historic Art Deco-style theater boasting one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, bergenPAC attracts a stellar roster of world-class entertainment. The jewel in our crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC - the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that reaches more than 30,000 students annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, "hands-on" training in music, dance and theater by industry professionals. It is through the ongoing generosity of sponsors, donors and patrons that the not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation bergenPAC and The Performing Arts School are able to thrive and enrich our community.

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