Announcing "Children of Khmer" Dance Troupe for Spring 2011 Tour

We are thrilled that the exquisite "Children of Khmer" from Cambodia will be our Spring 2011 International Young Performers' Tour participants. Ten talented teenage dancers in beautiful costume perform a combination of exquisite classical and exhuberant folk dances.

Following the troupe's highly successful appearances at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (see video and review excerpts below), this tour will be the troupe's first visit to the USA.

This tour is produced in partnership with Cambodian Living Arts, a group dedidicated to supporting the revival of traditional Khmer performing arts by bringing motivated youngsters together with master dance and music teachers.

We will be shortly taking full and half day school bookings for "Children of Khmner" for their 2-week stay with us from May 2 - 13, 2011. As always, the group will not only perform, but visit classrooms and give dance workshops at each school venue.

Please contact us for more details.

In the meantime, watch this short video and read some press reviews from their Edinburgh performances.



From The Independent

The country's ancient arts and legendary tales are revived in an irresistibly engaging production by these highly disciplined, enthusiastic teenagers. From the elegant opening candlelit "Prayer", the show focuses on varied aspects of folklore and tradition – as depicted in the carvings of Angkor Wat temple – from the ritual of "dashing coconut shells" and skill of picking cardamom, to an amusing re-enactment of the tale of the golden mermaid and the monkey king.
Exquisitely stylised in gesture, gorgeously colourful in costume, the dancers are expertly accompanied on traditional and ceremonial instruments in a show that dazzles in its infectious exuberance.

From The List - click here

From The Scotsman click here

2010 International Children's Art Exhibit Opens on April 7 at the New Canaan Library

The show, featuring over 175 insightful pieces of art from young artists in 28 countries, will on display from April 7-May 11 in the Lamb Room.

The gala opening artists' receptionwill be held from 5:30 - 7:30pm on April 7. You are invited to come and meet many of the local artists and their teachers.

The exhibit and reception is free. For hours and directions, go to the New Canaan Library website at www.newcanaanlibrary.org

Artist/Educators Jury Tackles Art Show Selection Task

On Tuesday, January 5th, and Friday, January 8th, a group of energetic and thoughtful volunteers came together to serve as the jury for Creative Connections' 2009-2010 International Childrens Art Exhibition, to be presented from April 14 to May 16, 2010 at the New Canaan Public Library in New Canaan, CT.

The selection took place at the studios of the Wilson Avenue Loft Artists in Norwalk, CT. Over 2,000 pieces of student art from the United States and 28 other countries were viewed by the jury and around 150 pieces were selected for the show. Selection criteria included both the pieces' cultural content and artistic merit.

Since November, packages of artwork have been arriving at our offices in Norwalk, CT from classrooms in the US and around the world as part of our ArtLink exchange program. Now that the selection is completed, each package of artwork from the US will be forwarded to a partner classroom overseas and each overseas package will be sent to a US classroom.

The students in each class will use the art as a means of learning about the culture of their partners and many of the partner classes will engage in further dialogue and communication with each other, continuing their exchange of information and ideas.

Creative Connections would like offer our sincere thanks to the following individuals who gave so much time and careful consideration to the selection process:

Peter Corbin, Millbrook, NY
Kathy Draper, Norwalk, CT
Maria del Rosario Fernandez, Key Biscayne, FL
Barbara Kurtz, Stamford, CT
Christine Glidden, Redding, CT
Leslie van de Velde Laughren, Darien, CT
Gillian Marshall, Norwalk, CT
Kim Pendergast, Norwalk, CT
Ann Weiner, Westport, CT

New Arab-US Connection ArtLink Program - Enrolling Now!

Creative Connections is excited to announce a new ArtLink program called Arab-US Connection. involving the creation and exchange of art projects, and subsequent written, audio, and/or video dialoguing.

Designed for 7-12 graders in the US and Arab students living in the Middle East, this program requires program participants to both reflect on their own way of life and to open their minds to learning about the too-often misunderstood culture of their partners.

To learn more about and/or enroll in the Arab-US Connection ArtLink program, click here. This program will begin in January 2010.

View video of the Oct '09 tour of the Rossijanochka Russian Folk Dance Troupe

Russian folk dance troupe, Rossijanochka, captivates audiences during our Fall 2009 International Young Perfomers' Tour

From late September to mid-October Rossijanochka, the award-winning youth folk dance troupe from St. Petersburg, Russia, travelled throughout the tri-state area and to Vermont to perform for schools and public audiences during our Fall 2009 International Young Performers' Tour.

Over 18 days, Rossijanochka's 18 talented young dancers, ranging in age from 8 to 19, visited 16 schools and two public theaters in 3 states, gave 18 performances, conducted dozens of hands-on workshops, and made thousands of connections!

Click on the video above to learn more about the impact of Rossijanochka's presence and performances in one of the schools they visited.

2009 International Children's Art Exhibit is now in our International Art Archive

Opening Artists' Reception held at New Canaan Library

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