Your Arts Association in Newton County has as its mission to encourage youth and adults to participate in the arts both as audience and as artist.
A major way to draw the youth and children to the arts is the great variety of camps offered in the summer each year. Registration is now open for this summer at www.NewtonCountyArts.org.
A week or two invested in one of camps this summer would pay off in a life time of appreciation for the arts. As you read through the array of camps offered, you may want to encourage a child or grandchild to participate. Three-hundred-ninety-five children did last year.
Elementary Dance Camp falls on June 12-16. This week is for six and seven year old dancers. Campers will enjoy moving through ballet and basics to come their favorite tunes. It will be Studio III of the Covington Regional Ballet which is the Lula Building. Cost for the week is $125. The times for the camp are 1 - 3 p.m.
Believing you can’t start too early to plant a love for the arts, there is offered the Music and Movement Camp for those from birth to age three. These young campers must be accompanied with parent, or grandparent, or caregiver. The fun all happens June 12-16 at 9:30 till 10:30 a.m. The fee is $75.
The next step up the age ladders are two Princess Camps and one Pirate Camp. The two opportunities for three to five year old girls will be June 5-9 and July 10-14. The time for each camp is 9 till 11 a.m. The cost is $125. The Princess Camps are described as an enchanting week of creative movement, storytelling creative play, arts and crafts. It is at the Covington Regional Ballet Children’s Studio
For boys ages 3-5, The Pirate Camp is July 10-14. This is a week filled with fun that includes music and movement classes, story time, snacks, arts and crafts and more. It is at Studio III at the Lula Building. It is from 9 – 11 a.m. The fee is $125.
Creative Kids Camp is a summer arts camp on the campus of Oxford College. Campers will find a fun filled week learning new skills in music, singing, dance, drama and visual art. There are groups for each age group from rising first graders to rising sixth graders. These camps are June 5-9, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day, the cost is $175 per camper.
Acting Camp is June 26 – 30. It is for Rising 4 – 12 graders. The target audience is the dramatically inclined or those wanting to further develop their theatrical skill. It will be held in Studio III of Covington Regional Ballet in the Lula Building on the Square. Not limited to just aspiring actors but also dancers and singers. There is also work with costuming and creative writing. The fee for the week is $175.00.
There are two Musical Theatre Camps offered the week of July10-21. One is for rising 4-7th graders, and the other for rising 8th grades through trough rising 12th graders. The younger camp is 9 a.m. till 3 p.m.
The older campers start at 11 a.m. and goes till 5 p.m. Both camps will be at the Porter Performing Arts Center. Campers will be auditioned and cast in various musical numbers. The promise is not that everyone will be a featured soloist, but everyone will have a great time. The cost for the two weeks is $250. These camps will culminate with a performance on July 21.
There is also the Summer Dance Camp. It is described as one stop shop for all things DANCE packed into one week. It is July 17-21. It is at the Lula Building daily at 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. Classes will be offered in ballet, jazz, musical theater and more. The cost is $175.
And all of these camps are in addition to the Young Artists Programs that are offered during the school year. In the school year of 2015-16, 589 students participated. There are three age level choirs that make up the Oxford Singers. There is the Covington Regional Ballet Company. Also the Newton County Youth Strings and the Newton County Community Band.
These programs for our children and youth are very special to our community. We pull from an eight county radius in offering these great opportunities to be nurtured in the arts. The Young Artists programs reaches into 50 schools. Our Arts Association is truly a regional provider of the arts.
