 This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Duke Ellington (1889–1974) made a name for himself as the composer and orchestra leader at Harlem's Cotton Club, a white-patron-only nightclub. He composed more than 2,000 songs and several musicals. Ellington viewed music as a form of activism. He knew that music could reach people in a way that words simply could not. While he knew the power of words as a poet and writer, he also knew that white people were more likely to listen to music by a Black musician than read the revolutionary writings of a Black activist. "Black leaders did not so much fight against the racial system in America as quietly and determinedly circumvent it.” - Duke Ellington's America Learn more about Ellington here, here and here.
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 This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. In addition to his talents on screen, he used his platform to fight against racial injustices, working with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1964, Sidney Poitier risked his life for civil rights. He delivered a suitcase full of $70,000 into the heart of America's racial nightmare. "Black actors, celebrities and entertainers who support voting rights and racial justice — whether behind the scenes or in more vocal ways — owe a debt to Poitier and the work he did in front of the camera and when the Hollywood klieg lights were turned off." —Peneil Joseph Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images Learn more about Sidney's venture and see some of his work here, here and here.  youtu.be/UeYP8ssD_BMThis month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby is a Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles. She inspires us to examine complexity and layers in our past and our present as she explores her culture and identity in her paintings. Akunyili Crosby says, "I think the point I make in my work is that my home is Nigeria and the United States at the same time.” Her paintings show us that we can be many things at once. "A mesh of old and new imagery, as well as traditional and modern media—in addition to photo-transfers she uses acrylic, charcoal, and colored pencils—process is essential to Akunyili Crosby’s cosmopolitan style. She’s influenced as much by European masters as by the household products that she collects in Nigeria. One gets a very physical sense of perspective through her works; you’re led instinctively to the big picture ideas about the way cultures, histories, and identities intertwine." — Charlotte Jansen in Artsy Photo: Brigitte Sire Interview with Akunyili Crosby here.  Alvin AileyNorman Maxon, New York Public Library This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) was an African American dancer, director, choreographer, activist, and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey was known for taking his life experiences growing up in the rural south and turning it into storytelling and thought provoking modern dance works. As once a student of Lester Horton, who was the founder of one of the first racially integrated dance companies in the US, Ailey went on to create his own legacy through his dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, that would continue to inspire future generations of dancers to become performers, choreographers, teachers and plenty more. More:  We had an amazing experience at YAGP Chicago! We are immensely grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful studios, passionate instructors, awe-inspiring choreographers, talented dancers, and phenomenal supporters. Congratulations to all who danced their hearts out! And congrats to our semifinal award winners:
Pre-Competitive Classical Variations Top 24: Brynlee Sawin Peyton Eustice Top 12: Brynlee Sawin 3rd Place Overall: Brynlee Sawin *** Small Ensemble Top 6: Fragile Hybrid Just 2nd Place Overall: Hybrid *** Large Ensemble Top 6: Moonlight Sonata 3rd Place Overall: Moonlight Sonata *** Junior Contemporary Soloists Top 24: Gabe Johnson Top 12: Gabe Johnson 1st Place Overall: Gabe Johnson *** Junior Classical Ballet Variations Top 24 Women: Lily Stuhr Sage Sulentic Top 12 Women: Sage Sulentic Men: 1st Place Overall: Gabe Johnson *** Senior Contemporary Soloists Top 24: Emma McMahon Tatiana Schmidt *** Senior Classical Ballet Variations Top 24: Emma McMahon Tatiana Schmidt *** Outstanding Choreographer: Leslie Nolte  We are honored to be producing and performing the world premiere of longtime Open Doors Dance Festival instructor Marjorie Thompson's first book, A Curious Tale of Magic, Mischief and Music. This 45-minute storybook ballet is fun for the whole family and there's even an opportunity to meet the characters after each show! Tickets are available for purchase here with limited seating in the cozy James Theater. We have been collaborating on this project for over two years and are finally ready to share the story of Hannah, Shep, and all of the zany magical characters that accompany them on their journey. Read more about the book here. Copies will also be available for purchase at the show, signed by the author herself.
Marjorie Thompson has had a legendary career, first working with George Balanchine at New York City Ballet, then teaching the Company and at School of American Ballet before becoming a faculty member at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Join us at The James Theater this weekend to support our dancers and fill the house for our longtime colleague and friend. Fall Schedule, Leveling and Registration
Our 2022-23 schedule is now available for viewing! You’ll also find links to tuition, class descriptions (with recommended number of weekly classes) and attire considerations on this page. Registration will open Monday, July 18 at 9:00 am. Information regarding Iowa City Youth Choir auditions and Madrigal Singer auditions will be available soon. Classes begin Tuesday, September 6. Dance students’ 2022-23 levels (levels 1-8) can be found in the parent portal by clicking on the 3 bars in the top right corner, “Account” then “View Student” by your student’s name and navigating to the skills tab as seen below. Please register for your assigned level, as our instructors have considered each dancer for a most successful year of learning! Faculty & Classes We have a wonderful returning faculty along with some new faces! We welcome advanced ballet faculty Jere Hunt, who will also be instructing modern dance, and Juliet Remmers, new advanced modern and young children’s dance faculty Breanna Dorsey, our new Acro and young children’s dance faculty Kari Rosfjord, and Kayla Drow joins us teaching a variety of genres. Learn more about these new additions on our website. We are also excited that Evan Zukin will be leading our Tap Program this season. Our studio truly offers something for everyone – be it young children’s programming, visual arts, dance, Pilates, musical theatre, choir, acting or fitness/dance/art classes designed for adults! Read more about all that we offer here. Covid19 Policy Update Please see our current policy here. We are continuing to align with the CDC recommendations and ask that our students follow their guidelines. We will no longer be notifying families of positive COVID19 cases. We appreciate and celebrate the success we have had in all our staff and students adhering to COVID19 policies for the past two years. In fact, we have also benefited in cutting down on illness in general from the use of masking when feeling unwell! While masking is no longer required for any students at Nolte Academy, we encourage mask wearing anytime a student may be under the weather to help us avoid influenza, strep, stomach bugs, and other cold viruses! Our teachers thank you. Pay it Forward with Our New Artists Initiative This summer we partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to bring camps to new BIPOC artists that are just getting to know us at Nolte Academy. It was a great success! “My daughter is loving Nolte camp and having the best time! We would not have been able to afford this camp without the partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Nolte Academy and appreciate the chance to participate!” Please consider helping us keep the momentum going this fall! You can “pay it forward” with the New Artists Initiative in two ways:
Find us on Instagram & Facebook We love posting updates and shares to our social media accounts. Find us on Instagram and Facebook, and tag us #nolteacademy on your posts! Excited for 2022 with you!  Our annual summer dance intensive is offered for three weeks this year. And the first week of ODDF22 is going to be... THRILLING.
We have some adored instructors returning, along with some next-level new faces that you are going to love! First up -- a little more about Open Doors and its structure this year... What is Open Doors Dance Festival? Open Doors Dance Festival was founded in 2009 to offer dancers a chance to expand their dance experiences in an intensive environment. Instead of traveling to far-off cities to study, ODDF brings talented instructors and world-class working professional artists to our doorstep. Who participates in Open Doors? Open Doors Dance Festival is for dancers who want to experience a professional, intimate dance workshop. Participants learn from elite soloists from some of the best dance companies in the world, as well as some of the best choreographers in the field. Students will have the opportunity to attend classes in modern, ballet, pointe, contemporary, improvisation, choreography, repertory, variations, musical theatre, conditioning, and Pilates. (Generes studied vary by dancer level). • The full-day program is intended for the advanced/advanced intermediate pre-professional dancers (with modern experience and extensive ballet experience and completion of Nolte ballet level 5). This program runs 9:00 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday+partial Saturday. • The part-day program is intended for intermediate dancers (with ballet experience and completion of Nolte level 3 classes). This program runs 9:00 am-2:00 Monday-Friday+partial Saturday. Who is teaching during Week 1? Our amazing lineup of instructors features: Marjorie Thompson, Debra Austin, Gavin Larsen and Breana Dorsey! You can read more about each of these accomplished dancers/choreographers in their bios here. How do I register? Register for Open Doors Dance Festival Full Day or Open Doors Dance Festival Part Day here. Tuition is $525/week for the full day and $395/week for part day. Stay tuned for information about Week 2: June 20-25!  Our first end-of-year art show on display in the Hancher lobby!
A collection of spring semester artwork from our artists in Guided Drawing, Color, 3-D Art, Emotion and Expression, and ICon Foundations in Artistic Expression. Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Collages, and Printmaking were arranged by class and project, (with the exception of the printmaking and portrait panel.)  On Tuesday, May 31 we congratulated our largest class of graduating seniors at our Senior Gala at The James Theater. It was a remarkable and moving night filled with dance and expression, a direct result of these amazing artists’ many years of effort! In past years, we recognized our seniors at the conclusion of our Sunday evening performance. We have transitioned to this new format to more intimately honor our students while keeping the recital moving along. However, we do hope you’re able to take in the talent of these kids who have been with Nolte anywhere from 3 to 15 years. Please view the performances, along with tributes to our seniors here. (Please note these dances may be a bit sensitive for the youngest of viewers.) We wish the best for our Nolte graduates! They are an amazing group of artists!
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