Henrico High teams up with the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance to welcome 'the artists of tomorrow'

Drawn by several personalized workshops promising to teach the next generation of artists, parents and their kids alike opted to go to school on a Saturday to hone their performing arts skills — a feat made possible thanks to a partnership between Henrico High School’s Center for the Arts and the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting performing and visual arts learning in the community.

The alliance hosted its third “Genworth Lights Up! Youth Series: On the Road” at Henrico High School’s Center for the Arts. The event boasted 150 preregistered children and young adults, the highest number to date.

According to Jennifer Maddox, the alliance’s director of education and community engagement, the purpose of the series is to engage those ages 3 to 18 to find an interest in some aspect of both performing and visual arts at no cost to the family.

“The goal is just to spark an interest in the arts in any area that we can manage,” Maddox said. “We want to remove any barriers to the arts so that families can come try something out.”

The day’s event began in the theater. Nervous excitement filled the air as kids wiggled in their chairs and dug through their grab bags.

Eager faces looked on as the arts center’s show choir took to the stage to perform three songs; each met with a round of applause.

After the show, kids, their parents in tow, headed to their designated workshops. There were six — among them stage combat, puppet making, a dance class and video production — and each one lasted roughly 45 minutes.

For Stephanie Poxon, Henrico High’s arts center director, the collaboration is one she hopes to continue.

The school, which serves as a magnet school within the division, offers specific performing arts classes for which students can apply. This includes advanced dance classes, choir, band and theater.

According to Poxon, by working with the alliance, the school is able to bring the arts to more kids for no cost.

“I really believe in making arts accessible to students of all ages and getting them interested to come here,” Poxon said.

With minutes left of the dance workshop, instructor Paul Dandridge got his dancers together. After kids and their parents had been transformed by Dandridge’s choreography into pirates, they were ready to perform for an audience.

As he worked with them through each step, Dandridge was met with giggles and banter. It is a part of his career that brings him the most joy.

“My biggest thing, especially with the arts and why I’ve wanted to continue being a part of this, is because I can continue to be able to provide something to a community that is going to help our artistic community grow,” Dandridge said. “With things like this, we’re making sure that everybody has as much exposure as possible.”

For 7-year-old Ryan Richins, it was Dandridge’s class that stood out from all of the workshops.

“It was really fun,” Ryan said.

The alliance will continue its On the Road series, hosting its next event at 9:30 a.m. March 4 at Hickory Hill Community Center. The event is free to the public.