Allegro Dance Project is a local nonprofit that offers dance classes and performance opportunities for students of all levels and abilities. The organization celebrates its10th anniversary this month with a retrospective performance. Photo furnished
Dance has been an integral part of Jeana Klevene’s existence for as long as she can remember. She started taking lessons as a young child, then transitioned into a career centering on choreographing and teaching dance as an adult. Today, most of her energy goes into her role as artistic director of Allegro Dance Project, the local non-profit organization she founded in 2014 that provides opportunities for dance and movement for children and adults of all abilities. Allegro — a word that means “joyful; a brisk or lively movement” — is now celebrating its 10th anniversary and will host a special commemorative performance at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center this month to honor the occasion.
From an early age, Klevene was drawn to the beauty, rhythm and physicality of dance. There were plenty of aspects of the art form that always just clicked with her, but there were also some that didn’t.
“Throughout my journey, I always loved dance so much but really disliked how exclusive it was,” said Klevene. “I always knew I wanted to do something [with it] that would be more inclusive.”
As she evolved from being a student of dance into a leadership role in the field, Klevene found herself repeatedly asking herself the same question: How can we honor tradition in this art form without being exclusive or discriminatory? It was an issue she had not seen addressed very often in the dance world.
Allegro Dance Project addresses this challenge with a variety of methods through three distinct arms that work in tandem to meet the organization’s mission of inspiring dancers and audiences in a manner that’s joyful, fun and inclusive. Those aspects include a professional dance company featuring paid dancers and musicians; weekly adaptive dance classes for children and youth with Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and other specific needs; and an inclusive outreach program that travels to schools and other organizations to provide movement and music training for children with moderate to severe disabilities.
For the inclusive outreach program, which is available for free to public schools thanks to sponsors, grant funding and private donors, Allegro brings a dance teacher and musician to a special needs classroom or other setting to lead a 40-45 minute session exploring music, ballet fundamentals, jazz and contemporary dance, freestyle movement and guided improvisation. The program has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade, Klevene explained.
“We started working with about 50 students our first year, and fast forward to this year, I think it will be over 1,500 students that we’ve served,” she said. While the organization initially only served Fayette County schools, around 35% of the schools it now serves are outside Fayette County, within an hour or so radius of Lexington.
The program, which Klevene describes as “physical therapy mixed with occupational therapy disguised as a group dance party,” is the only one of its kind that she’s aware of. It provides unique movement opportunities for students who are often sitting on the sidelines when it comes to physical activities. Witnessing the changes in students over the course of several sessions has been one of the greatest joys of Klevene’s career.
“We’ve seen kids who are nonverbal begin to communicate. We got to witness a little girl who crawled into her first dance class and was told she would never walk independently who now walks,” Klevene said. “They are having so much fun they don’t realize they’re working really physically hard. I think a lot of them don’t even realize the change that’s happening, physically and socially.”
An important aspect in all of Allegro’s work is providing the opportunity for dancers and students of all levels and abilities to share the stage. The organization’s annual performances typically feature at least one number where students from the adaptive classes and inclusive outreach program share the stage with the company’s professional dancers.
This month’s special 10th anniversary show will include the organization’s most favorite repertoire from the past decade, including a piece from each year. The show will also feature contemporary dance, aerial circus arts, and live original music, as well as a silent auction to raise money for Allegro’s Inclusive Outreach Program. More information on the event and all of Allegro’s offerings can be found online at www.allegrodanceproject.com.
Allegro Dance Project 10th Anniversary Performance
Sat., Aug. 10
Performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, 141 E. Main St.