Valley Performing Arts Council

VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL (VPAC) WAS ESTABLISHED IN MARCH OF 1997 AS A NON-PROFIT EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION PROVIDING LOCAL GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH EXPOSURE TO THE CLASSICAL PERFORMING ARTS.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES: VPAC CHARGES SCHOOLS 5.00 PER STUDENT, AND TRIES TO KEEP FEES AS LOW AS POSSIBLE TO REACH AS MANY STUDENTS AS POSSIBLE. SCHOOL FEES, HOWEVER, ARE NOT ENOUGH TO COVER PRODUCTION COSTS; THEREFORE TICKET SALES FROM PUBLIC PERFORMANCES SERVE AS A FUNDRAISER TO COVER THE COST OF THE SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

FRESNO BALLET THEATER: IN 1997, YUKARI THIESEN FOUNDED THE FRESNO BALLET THEATER (FBT), FORMERLY NAMED FRESNO DANCE THEATRE. THIS STUDENT BALLET COMPANY IS OPEN TO ALL BALLET STUDENTS AND NON-BALLET STUDENTS (PROVIDED THERE ARE ROLES) IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. GROWING UP AT THE MATSUYAMA BALLET SCHOOL, AFFILIATED WITH MATSUYAMA BALLET, THEN THE LARGEST PROFESSIONAL BALLET COMPANY IN TOKYO. IT PROVIDES THE STUDENTS A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOAL TO BE ACHIEVED BY OBSERVING AND WORKING WITH THE PROFESSIONALS.FBT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL BALLET STUDENTS TO WORK WITH THE SACRAMENTO BALLET AND ITS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MR. RON CUNNINGHAM, EVERY FALL, AND MR. RODNEY GUSTAFSON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF STATE STREET BALLET OF SANTA BARBARA AND HIS COMPANY EACH SPRING. CUMULATIVELY, THIS ORGANIZATION HAS REACHED 132,000 SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM 25 SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THIS CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY. THE FRESNO BALLET THEATRE, SACRAMENTO BALLET AND THE STATE STREET BALLET OF SANTA BARBARA COLLABORATED TO DRAW ON DANCE AND ARTISTIC FORCES WITHIN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY COMMUNITY FOR A UNITED PRESENTATION; BUILDING A STRONGER FOUNDATION FOR BALLET AND DANCE WHILE REACHING OUT TO APPROXIMATELY 10,000 GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS ANNUALLY. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ORGANIZATION MAINTAINS AN INDEPENDENT DANCE STUDIO WHERE SOME CHILDREN/RELATIVES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS PARTICIPATE ON A FEE BASIS AS STUDENTS. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HAS ALLOWED FOR THE ORGANIZATION TO OWE A BALANCE FOR PAST SERVICES RENDERED OVER MANY YEARS. BOARD MEMBERS AND RELATIVES PROVIDE SERVICES/PRODUCTS TO THE ORGANIZATION.

SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM: VPAC PRESENTS EXCERPTS FROM FULL-LENGTH BALLETS SELECTED FOR GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS AT EITHER THEIR SCHOOL THEATER, NEAR-BY COMMUNITY THEATER OR AT OUR CENTRAL LOCATION AT THE WILLIAM SAROYAN THEATRE, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA. "STUDY GUIDES" WHICH MEET CALIFORNIA STATE STANDARDS ARE PROVIDED TO SCHOOLS AND CAN BE USED FOR PRE-PERFORMANCE AND POST-PERFORMANCE EDUCATION. ON-SITE CLASSROOM TRAINING WITH PROFESSIONAL ARTIST IS ALSO OFFERED.

SEND CHILDREN TO THE THEATER: THIS PROGRAM SHARES THE BEAUTY OF CLASSICAL BALLET AND THE THEATRE EXPERIENCE BY INVITING LESS FORTUNATE CHILDREN THROUGH GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED ORGANIZATIONS IN FRESNO, CLOVIS, VISALIA AND TULARE. SINCE 2000, VPAC HAS INVITED OVER 13,000 LESS FORTUNATE CHILDREN TO THE THEATER THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. APPROXIMATELY 1,700 TICKETS ARE PROVIDED FOR LESS FORTUNATE CHILDREN TO ATTEND PUBLIC PERFORMANCES.