11/4/2021
Education and Outreach
Sometimes kids just need to follow a few breadcrumbs to discover their love for the performing arts.
The Smith Center kicked off its education outreach for the 2021-2022 school year in September with the crowd-pleasing, virtual student matinee of “Grimmz Fairy Tales.”
Staged as a hip-hop concert, this modern spin on classic fairy tales features brothers Jay and Will Grimmz using rhythm, rhyme and dance to portray meaningful lessons from updated stories like “Hanzel & Gretel: Lost in the Streets,” “Snow White and the Seven Shawties,” “Down with Rapunzel” and “Cinderella Remix.”
For Jamie Harris, a librarian at Smalley Elementary School in Henderson, the virtual matinee offered her third, fourth and fifth grade students a way to experience the performing arts at a time when in-person gatherings are still not possible for students.
It also provided them with an opportunity to learn some valuable life lessons.
“I love the way the show adapted old fairy tales and made them contemporary, to teach kids about different challenges they may face in life,” says Harris.
A self-described “drama geek” who has always loved theater, Harris believes it is important to encourage students to participate in and see the performing arts.
“It’s always good for kids to see things from different perspectives,” she says. “The performing arts is an excellent way for them to do that.”
Timely Messages for Young Minds
As a nonprofit, The Smith Center offers education initiatives for tens of thousands of students and teachers each year, most at no cost to schools.
Harris has participated in professional development workshops at The Smith Center, but this marked her first experience with a virtual student matinee.
“The ’Grimmz Fairy Tales’ matinee was so perfect for me to offer, since it fit in so well with the reading and storytelling that I was already doing in the library,” she says.
The life lessons offered by the show, described as a hip-hop revelation for the younger generation, were very relevant for her students, Harris says.
“Snow White’s experience with cyberbullying in ‘Snow White and the Seven Shawties,’ for example, showed the students why it’s important to be kind when online,” she said.
In “Down with Rapunzel,” Harris says that her students learned about staying true to themselves and the importance of doing what makes them happy.
After watching the performances, Harris led her students in an exercise where they used a Venn diagram to compare the traditional stories with the contemporary versions.
“This really gave the students a better appreciation for the show’s teachings,” Harris says.
Revealing a World of Job Possibilities
Clark County School District works closely with schools to create and maintain a college-and-career-ready culture, Harris notes.
With that in mind, she says, this student matinee gave her an opportunity to talk with her students about jobs in the performing arts industry, many of which are right here in Las Vegas.
“Exposing students to virtual matinees is a great way for showing kids who enjoy creativity that there are jobs in our town that they can do someday,” says Harris. “From creating costumes, running sound, arranging flowers, or designing decorations, there are lots of possibilities.”
Harris says she is now showing another virtual matinee, “Charlotte’s Web,” to her first and second graders with the hope of nurturing creativity in even younger minds.
For more information about The Smith Center’s education and outreach programs, click here.