DTT has launched a comprehensive outreach program, bringing the beauty and excitement of the performing arts to school children and local audiences. In December of 2009, TDT in partnership with the Academy of performing arts reached 3000 children and adults through its performances, story times, and excerpts.

We look forward to further serving our community through our instructional performance workshops.

DTT’s 2010-2011 Peformance Workshop: The “Ugly-Duckling” Anti-Bullying Program

With recent studies indicating that 20 percent or more of all children feel threatened at some point during the school day, it's not surprising that playground bullying is high on elementary educators' lists of concerns. Dance Theatre of Tennessee is offering a creative solution: dance.

The “Ugly-Duckling” Anti-Bullying Program is a performance workshop where students and company dancers work together to create lifelike scenarios of everyday school life using discussion and creative choreography.

The program, patterned after the highly successful, award winning program by Ballet Nouveau in Colorado as choreographed by Oklahoma City Ballet Artistic Director Robert Mills, utilizes best practices from the anti-bullying field and provides schools with an artistic method of assisting students in creating a caring community. Teachers begin by leading their students in activities provided by DTT that emphasize the concepts of respect, empathy, and teamwork. Students are then presented a live performance of the “Ugly-Duckling” performed by members of DTT’s professional company.

The show, "a delightful romp through 1980’s pop culture" takes the classic story and presents it in modern time featuring the Ugly Duckling attending school. Following the performance, key scenes are re-enacted to show students how one or two brave people can create a caring community and end bullying.

With this production, DTT aims to enlighten students about this pressing and sensitive issue through the medium of performance art.