Dear Representatives Bishop and Matheson,

 I have a special invitation for you. Repertory Dance Theatre would be honored to have you attend our annual “friend-raising” event called Charette on Feb 11, 2012 and to be one of our esteemed celebrity judges. This annual event invites our audience to witness the creative process in an entertaining and friendly way. Charette helps demystify our art form by challenging choreographers to create dances in record time. The audience watches the hour long process and a resultant performance and then celebrity judges select an “Iron Choreographer” at the end of a delightful and informative evening.

When I read your remarks concerning the EPA’s “small grant” to RDT, I admit that my first response was of disbelief. You represent a State that values arts and culture. While you praised RDT’s artistic merit, it is clear that you may not have found an opportunity to see what our company does in the schools or understand how powerful dance can be to help children value themselves, value others, and understand how we interconnect to the rest of the world.

There has been an outpouring of response to your questioning the appropriateness of the EPA grant, and I am now taking the opportunity to invite you to take another look at RDT and at the work that we do. I am certain that when you have had the experience of seeing what dance can provide audiences of all ages, you will alter your opinion of the EPA support of RDT’s education project.

I have had the privilege of serving RDT for over 45 years. It has been my pleasure to be part of a very valuable process that develops ways to use dance as a tool for learning. RDT meets the needs of all students by offering a variety of learning modalities. Information is presented visually, orally and kinesthetically. Our movement activities provide alternative ways of learning in order to help students achieve basic educational objectives such as concentrating, creative problem solving, planning, visualizing and conceptualizing. When children experience knowledge directly through movement, they are able to validate who they are, how they relate to the life of the community, and to the world at large.

RDT’s “healthy neighborhoods” program focuses on reaching individuals, families, schools, and neighborhoods with valuable information. Our Arts and Environmental Education Project for grades K-6 is designed to empower young people with the information necessary to make informed choices relating to their personal health, the health of their neighborhoods and their communities by increasing awareness, motivation and understanding of the importance of clean air, clean water, clean energy.

We encourage a healthy lifestyle and a healthy environment.   We invite students to create and to explore core subjects kinesthetically. This can open avenues of awareness that will increase self-worth, develop self-confidence, encourage understanding and consideration for others.

RDT has used the environment as a springboard for integrated learning since 1966. Projects have included creating activities and curriculum about U.S. history, Utah landscape, geology, geography and environmental stewardship. Our RDT Green Map Project encourages community inventories to stimulate a dynamic understanding of ‘place’ to help develop a more sustainable future.

RDT provides a very important service to schools that is funded by the Utah State Office of Education and State legislature but we must seek 50% of the cost of our services through other funding. The EPA grant has given us the opportunity to expand our activities to “underserved” schools. The EPA should be congratulated for realizing the potential of out-of-the-box thinking designed to help students become more aware of how their choices and actions affect their health and the natural environment.

RDT is not only a valuable resource to schools, but our company also provides economic impact to Salt Lake City and the State. We employ dancers, designers, and administrators who would likely be unemployed for 6 weeks this year without the EPA grant.  

It is tragic that programs in the arts are being eliminated in public schools all over Utah. As children, you probably did not have the opportunity to experience kinesthetic or integrated learning, so I invite you to see us in action in the schools and in our home theatre, The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center,  in downtown Salt Lake City.

We hope you will agree to be one of our celebrity Charette judges. We look forward to your reply.

Respectfully,

Linda C. Smith,
Artistic Director