education & outreach
Ballet Des Moines dancers visit youth audience members in Muscatine, Iowa, during the 2022 Summer STEM Tour.
Ballet Des Moines is a purpose-driven dance company with a mission to enrich lives through inspiring performances, inclusive education and outreach programs, and innovative community partnerships. Ballet Des Moines has established itself as a local innovator and state-wide leader in interdisciplinary learning, redefining the role of the arts in education by wielding creativity as a tool to improve academic outcomes, teach empathy, and build the confidence and curiosity in the next generation of leaders.
All of our programs are built in partnership with organizations and individuals across industries, disciplines, and communities. To our collaborators: thank you for helping us create a world where all people are encouraged to thrive.
2023-2024
A Season of Storytelling
Some stories we inherit. Others we create. Some stories we sing from the mountaintops and others we're too vulnerable to share. This season, Ballet Des Moines will help each of us to find our voice and tell our stories, those that thread us together and those which make us unique. Through workshops, discussions, performances, and participatory public art, and professional development opportunities, our programs will explore literacy and layered identity, empowering all members of our community to celebrate their stories.
Season specific partners include:
Iowa Writers Workshop, Artforce Iowa, Throughline Arts, Iowa PBS, One Iowa, and libraries and public schools across the state
Chiyo Nishida and Iowa State Bar Association President Henry Hamilton III during Power & Justice Workshops
Workshop & Panel Discussions
Creativity is used as a tool to engage youth and adults in activities and discussions exploring a wide range of concepts, from civic engagement, to the science of space, to literacy and identity.
Storytelling through the art of dance at Hoyt Sherman Place
Educational Performances
BDM’s Storytelling through the Art of Dance performances investigate different cultures through the lens of performing arts, storytelling, and heritage, with classroom resources to guide meaningful discussions in classrooms and at home. Partners include CultureALL and Throughline Arts.
Consider the Meaningful community art installation by Akwi Nji
Participatory Art
Creating a direct link between you and what you see on the stage, members of the community are invited to share personal stories and perspectives which are integrated into professional art work.
Ballet Des Moines dancers take a bow during a 2022 Summer STEM Tour performance in Clear Lake, Iowa.
SUMMER STEM TOUR
Every summer, Ballet Des Moines tours the state of Iowa with its Summer STEM tour, partnering with local and state-wide organizations to draw career connections and spark ideas through arts and science.
transforming lives through creativity
An enormous body of research establishes the link between participation in arts programming and markers of success, including reading acquisition and literacy, reduced school drop-out rates, intrinsic motivation, curiosity, confidence, improved empathy and awareness of different people, places, and ideas. On a larger scale, accessible arts programming builds stronger communities, increases civic engagement, drives tourism, and acts as a critical driver behind innovation, and all these effects are measurably stronger in disadvantaged communities. More than free tickets, Ballet Des Moines’ intentional approach to inclusion and access focuses not just on opening doors, but establishing trust-based partnerships with community leaders, educators, and neighborhoods, creating programs that are relevant and resonant across the entire community, and empowering diverse voices to lead.
