Montana Arts Council grant keeps movement in motion

SEELEY LAKE - Alpine Artisan, Inc. (AAI) continues to support Artists in the Schools for Seeley Lake and Swan Valley students by securing a second $2,500 grant from the Montana Arts Council's "Artists in the Schools" Experiences Program. AAI received their first grant last fall. This enabled them to help with Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) 21st Century program, to bring in an instructor from Movements-4-Movement into SLE, Swan Valley Elementary School and Seeley-Swan High School, said Jenny Rohrer, AAI program director. This second grant will enable AAI to extend that work from July through November.

 "This program has been very enlightening as instructor Katie Thompson works with the students to build confidence, express themselves emotionally and gain confidence in their classmates through movement," Rohrer said.

The grant allowed Thompson to offer Movements-4-Movement sessions at Seeley Lake Elementary for three- to eight-year-olds with two one-hour sessions June 14-16.

Thompson from Missoula is a full-time teacher at Roots Gymnastics and Dance in Missoula. Thompson began her dance career in Maine and has studied all over, participating in various performances from New York to Seattle. Thompson has been teaching dance for 20 years this fall.

"A big part of what we do is introduce movement to people that might not have a lot of access to it in a different way," Thompson said. Students are shown various exercise-type movements which can resemble hip hop at some points along with techniques to display emotions without words.

"Our philosophy is that movement is a universal language and through that a deeper understanding about how we move through the world," Thompson said. "We can then help [them] to be a better part of it and learn how to express themselves in ways beyond words."