Members of Pieces of a Dream P*D2 participated in the 2010 Boscov's Children's Day on Saturday, August 28.  Pieces of a Dream, Inc. was one of many groups, featuring activities specifically by and for young people.  The young ladies of P*D2 performed an excerpt of "The Saints are Coming", a new work that will be featured in "Aphrodite's Daughters" in the Fringe Wilmington Festival (September 30 - October 3).  While at the store, the P*D2 members also did "Dancing for Donations":  The girls performed various dance moves, such as jumps, kicks, and turns, for any donation, no matter how large or small.

The Children's Day also served as a pre-sale date for Boscov's Friends Helping Friends, which is an annual event that allows non-profit organizations like Pieces of a Dream, Inc. to raise funds.  Boscov's Departement Stores supply the non-profit with coupons, good for 25% off all purchases made on Tuesday, October 5, 2010.  The coupons cost $5 to purchase, and 100% of the proceeds go towards the specified non-profit organization.  Friends Helping Friends coupons are available for purchase on our Shop page.
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This past Thursday, August 26, Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre held the culminating activities of its first annual Pre-Season Ballet Intensive.  Benjamin Sterling Cannon served as the Ballet Master for the intensive, which ran for seven days over the course of two weeks.  Mr. Cannon, the founder of look)see Productions and a noted actor, dancer, director, and producer, led the company members and guest dancers through a series of daily ballet lessons that included barre work, core work, and center work.  The sixteen dancers registered for the intensive also learned a ballet combination, which they presented to family and friends on the last day of the intensive. 

All of the dancers were very excited about the results of the intensive.  One dancer specifically noted that she "learned how to be a better ballet dancer and how to control [her] body."  Another young lady commented that having "a different teacher than who I usually have had helped improve [her] technique."  The parents of the dancers were equally impressed with the outcomes of the workshop.  They "liked Mr. Cannon's teaching style" and noted that their daughters thought the class was "hard but enjoyable."


Due to the success of the event, Pieces of a Dream, Inc. will continue to host the Pre-Season Ballet Intensive as an annual event, held each August.  If you can't wait until next August, you can register for the Ballet to Broadway Dance Workshop with Mr. Cannon and Tyrick Wiltez Jones.  Ballet to Broadway is scheduled for Sunday, November 14 and will cost only $35, if you register before August 31.  Registration information is available on our Home page.
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Congratulations to the RP Hip Hoppers at Richardson Park Elementary School!  The hip hop dance team, under the instruction of Pieces of a Dream, Inc.'s Ashley Sullivan-Kirksey, performed their dance to "Hard Knock Life" on Thursday, May 13.  These fourth and fifth grade students have been working all year on their routine, which was the featured performance at the First Annual Richardson Park Elementary Talent Show.  The students, most of whom have never had dance instruction, have been working on their routine with "Ms. Ashley" since October.  Once a week, they spend their recess indoors learning hip hop dance moves and getting a great workout.  The Talent Show was the culminating performance for the year.  This program, which in now in its second year at Richardson Park, is successful largely due to the efforts of school nurse Cathy Whelton.  CONGRATULATIONS!  For a full article on the Richardson Park Hip Hop Crew, visit http://www.communitypub.com/education/x645476662/Hip-hop-dance-teaches-life-lessons-at-Richardson-Park.
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On Wednesday, February 17, State Farm Insurance Company presented its annual Ujima Awards in Wilmington, Delaware.  This event seeks to recognize individuals who work consistently towards the betterment of their communities.  Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre was honored to be able to participate in this event for the second year in a row.  The company performed excerpts of "Riot-Us Behavior" for those in attendance.
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Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre presented a 45-minute concert for the students at Delaware County Community College on Thursday, February 4.  The concert, held at the Media Campus, was a preview of the March 26 "IntercoNEXTions" concert.  A highlight of the morning's performance was "ToGetHer", choreographed by Ashlei G. Randolph.  "ToGetHer", a work about domestic violence, will be performed in its entirety at Pieces of a Dream, Inc.'s third annual concert.  The DCCC event concluded with Q&A between the audience and company members.  To view pictures from this event, click here.
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On Sunday, January 10, 2010, Pieces of a Dream, Inc. hosted a Wellness Workshop at its rehearsal studio.  Dr. Trent Ryan, a member of the Association of Wellness Professionals, presented information to the Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre members and other pre-professional dancers in attendance about how the brain affects one's physical well-being.  Dr. Ryan led the dancers through a series a exercises to test their neurological wellness.  The workshop was incredibly informative.
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Wilmington News Journal photographer Fred Comegys captured the curtain call.

Ashley L. Sullivan-Kirksey and several members of the Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre were featured performers in this years production of the Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts.  The concert was the culminating event of the Wilmington's annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival.  Pieces of a Dream, Inc. members Ashlei Randolph, Viveca Hutchinson, Adiah Simpson, and Dietra Hunter were joined by Nashira Council, Amanda Pollard, Charles Russell, Roberto Rodreiguez-Garcia, and Nicole Starcheski to perform in five featured selectioned with music by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Choir.

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The  second audition will be held at our rehearsal studio, Danceworks Dance Studio 413A New London Road, Newark, DE 19711 on June 30.  Sign in is at 7:30. Please contact Ashley for questions and details.

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Duke Ellington Sacred Music Concert
Sunday June 21, 2009 from 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Grand Opera House
818 N Market St
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

Pieces of a Dream will be performing at the Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert at the close of the 2009 DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival—Wilmington’s premier music festival and the largest free jazz festival in the Mid-Atlantic. 

The tickets are free, but you must reserve a ticket at the Festival website.



Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, led by acclaimed local conductor and music educator David Christopher and performed by approximately 150 instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers. Featured performers will include award-winning tap dancer Joseph Webb, whose performances include Savion Glover’s Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in ‘Da Funk; the Pieces of a Dream Modern Dance Theatre; and several distinguished soloists, including vocalist Devonne Gardner, who soloed for Ellington when he debuted the Sacred Concerts; 13-year-old vocalist Halima Bleu of Wilmington, who performed the role of Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King; and Iris Fairfax, Lawler Rogers, and Zen Aura. Featured instrumentalists include trumpeters Nick Corvino and Matt Gallagher, bassist Rob Swanson, and pianist Dennis Fortune. The Wilmington Children’s Chorus will also perform.

Website: http://www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com/

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Pieces of a Dream, Inc and Executive and Artistic Director Ashley Sullivan-Kirsey have had several mentions in the news lately. 

On June 5,  Ashley and the Richardson Park Hip Hoppers featured by ABC channel 6's Lauren Wilson in "Hip to New School Activities". You can see the spot above, an ad plays first. From the feature:


"There's something happening at a school in Wilmington that has students smiling, working really hard, and doing some dancing too.

Recess is indoors on a rainy day, but that doesn't matter to a group of girls at the Richardson Park Elementary School. They gave up recess after they got hip to a better way to spend their free time

It is hip hop.

It is a new initiative designed to help kids stay in shape while having fun and learning some lessons about life....

Miss Ashley has a couple of rules for the girls including 'you can't say can't' and 'you have to try.'



On May 28, Ashley and the Richardson Park Hip Hoppers were the Cover story for the News Journal Crossroads Magazine. From the article: 

"Dance, Sullivan-Kirksey says, teaches them so much. In addition to physical activity, it teaches them discipline."...The girls agree that their instructor has high expectations. One if her rules is, "You have to try it" and another, "you can't say can't." Yet, says Jones, "when people do it wrong, she works with you until you get it right."  "She teaches us how to work as a team." says Ashley Galindez-Ceballos."

The article is in the News Journal Archive on there website, but will be included on our upcoming press page, if you'd like to read the full article.

On April 30th Pieces of a Dream was the also the Crossroads cover story in Janel Atlas' "'Movement' as statement"

"On March 27, Pieces of a Dream presented "Social Movement," a dance performance using historic civil-rights era music with dramatic modern choreography to open a dialogue about race.

Among the movements of the show was "Riot-Us Behavior," a dance-dramatization of the Wilmington race riots, including music and speeches by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, Mavis Staples and Boyz II Men.

Part of the performance illustrated the horror and grief that poured out when King was assassinated in April 1968; the entire cast stood watching an off-stage blue glow, while the audio of archival reporting about King's death played.

The collective gasp of the dancers and their writhing movements brought into sharp relief the communal loss of hope that day."



Scans and pictures from the articles will be posted soon on our new press page, so if you missed these the first time around, you'll be able to read the full story there.

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