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Our
Town
Ballet Blooms in the City of Compton
Compton Dance Theatre receives city, state and federal honors
From staff reports
COMPTON – Proving
that classical dance can thrive as an alternative to hip hop's strong
influence in one of the country's most challenged inner cities, honors
were given to a small community-based dance academy in the heart
of Compton last month.
In honor and recognition of excellence in community service, Compton
Dance Theatre (CDT) and its founder/artistic director, Carol Bristol-Henry,
received awards and acknowledgements from local, state and federal representatives
at the city of Compton's 2008 Community Development Week luncheon.
From the city, Bristol-Henry and Compton Dance Theatre, a ballet,
modern and traditional dance foundation, received the Addie Patterson Award
for Outstanding Service in Community Development. A Certificate of Special
Congressional Recognition was bestowed from the U.S. House of Representatives,
and a Certificate of Recognition was presented from the state Assembly.
Additionally, Bristol-Henry was the recipient of a Teacher of the Year
2007-2008 award from CDT's students and parents.
Students along with members from its professional troupe performed
two pieces choreographed by Bristol-Henry. The audience, comprised of numerous
city commissioners and dignitaries, and representatives from the state
of California and U.S. House of Representatives, were impressed with the
dancers' discipline, technique and choreography.
Upon receiving the award, Bristol-Henry gave an emotionally charged
acceptance speech, acknowledging the dedication of her husband, students,
their parents and supporters. As she thanked everyone, she recapped the
beginnings of CDT in Compton and the barriers she faced in establishing
the fledgling dance academy in the inner city.
“I started Compton Dance Theatre Foundation unintentionally,” said
Bristol-Henry, “and my friends thought I was crazy. They said I shouldn't
do it, that it would ruin my career by association.”
Visibly moved by Bristol-Henry's message and emotion, the audience
frequently responded with “Amen” and words of encouragement
throughout her speech.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Howard University, a
master’s degree in dance and dance education from N.Y.U., CDT's founder
studied dance at Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Center. She is also an accomplished performance artist.
“I reluctantly started teaching dance at Compton High School as a
way to earn money between gigs,” said Bristol-Henry. “I was
very uncertain about making any kind of a difference.”
She described how she used to wait for traffic to clear before leaving
the high school to go home and she noticed that idle students would fight
just to entertain one another. The more studious young people were left
to defend themselves or seek refuge in the few after-school activities
that were available to avoid becoming prey to the fighters.
“On a whim, I offered to teach the dances I had started working on
during my regular daytime classes to three students after school.
They came consistently, invited their friends and relatives and expressed
how
grateful they were to me for spending time with them and giving them
an opportunity to feel good about themselves.”
“Later,” she continued, “several of them confided in
me about not having alternative activities to gangs and other risky behavior,
and
that dance was their only reason for showing up to school everyday
and not getting into trouble.”
With arts acting as a reflection of society and culture, Compton
is more known for gangsta rap, soft-porn rap videos, corruption and crime.
It is this reputation that the City of Compton is combating and which
makes it vitally important for arts programs such as Compton Dance Theatre
to exist and to serve the youth of the greater South Los Angeles area.
After seeing the overwhelming need for regular after-school dance
programming, Bristol-Henry scrambled for space to hold classes for her
faithful students.
“This is the only dance outlet that promotes an entire re-education
on dance for both genders. Instead of being violent to one's self
or another person, the preservation of life, health, and wellbeing is addressed,” said
Bristol-Henry. “The young people in my program not only receive professional
training in dance, they are held accountable for being self-directed,
disciplined and aspiring toward excellence in all that they do. They are
also encouraged
to experience life beyond their zip code.”
In 2002, Bristol-Henry founded the nonprofit corporation to become
eligible for the much needed artistic and financial support.
“I decided to call it Compton Dance Theatre Foundation because I
wanted my students to have something that was a positive reflection on
their neighborhood
and on their efforts to make a difference in their community,” she
said.
Evidence of the quality of CDT's dance training is seen in one of
its 11-year-old students, Victoria Portor, who auditioned and was accepted
to American Ballet Theater's 2008 summer intensive program. Compton Dance
Theater has developed partnerships with the Los Angeles Music Center, which
referred American Ballet Theater's education outreach director to CDT.
“Of course, funding remains the biggest challenge we face and survival
is put to the test on an all too frequent basis,” she said. “We
have been the recipient of grants and appreciate what has been provided
thus far. But to continue, we need additional funding and more funding
resources. We also need a permanent home.”
Compton Dance Theatre is currently located at 534 W. Compton Blvd.
and can be reached by calling (310) 669-9908 or at www.comptondancetheatre.org.
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