Natya Dance Theatre’s Outreach Program brings Bharata Natyam, the classical dance theater of India, to schools and community centers around Chicago. Our programs are suited to the needs of individual schools and organizations. NDT has a highly acclaimed Outreach Program that presents nearly 40 programs every year to over 20,000 people in schools and universities, museums, libraries, and community organizations. NDT is also a presenter of excellent performing artists from around the world. The Outreach Program engages people of all ages in reduced-fee or free of charge programs. We offer lecture-demonstrations, workshops and master classes specially created for schools and universities, libraries, museums and community centers. We offer: - Performances for ensemble or full-company - Workshops - Lecture demonstrations - Residencies (one day to several weeks) Skills Learned Natya’s Outreach Programs help students achieve the following skills: Solving Problems: Through the portrayal of traditional stories from Indian mythology, our programs use dance to teach values, morals, ethics, decision-making, and cooperation. Communicating: Our programs use dance to demonstrate the stories and customs of Indian culture, while facilitating discussion surrounding tradition, family roles, personal responsibility, nonviolence, and international affairs. Working in teams: In many of our programs, students work together to create original dance dramas, including story and character development, as well as dance movements. Making connections: Students learn about Indian culture in relationship to their own. Students also learn about a complex and enduring art form—one that correlates to almost all subject areas including: Dance, Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Theater, English and Literature, History, Philosophy, Religion, East Asian Studies, Languages, and International Studies. Recent Chicago Area Outreach Programs Association House Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Symphony Center Duncan YMCA Girl Scouts of DuPage County Harold Washington Library Highland Park High School Indian Classical Music Society Indo-American Center Lake Forest College Lucent Technologies Northeastern Illinois University Peace Museum Ridge Park Theater Camp Skokie Festival of Cultures University of Illinois, Chicago World Festival of Ancient Cultures George Rogers Clark School (Kraft Foods Art Discovery Program) John Spry Community Link School (with Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education) Chicago Children’s Museum Lookingglass Theatre Chicago Children’s Choir Apnagar Center Art Institute of Chicago