Educate and empower at-risk children through dance

The Danzárea program continues to grow as we carry on with our mission to educate and empower children at risk through dance, month by month.

Thanks to your support, during this last quarter — specifically in the months of August, September, October, and November — the students in our program have participated in various cultural activities that contribute to their development and complement their physical dance training in other integral ways. Some of these activities include:

Panama International Book Fair: The Panama International Book Fair is the most important educational, cultural, and literary event in our country. Over six days, the most prominent authors from Ibero-America are present for conferences and presentations, along with interactive youth and children’s spaces featuring workshops and music. Our children enjoyed a full day immersed in literature and activities at the fair, where they learned and had fun together.

Visit to the BioMuseo: The BioMuseo in Panama offers a space not only to learn about biodiversity but also to explore how the formation of the Isthmus of Panama brought significant changes to the world, influencing fauna, flora, and climate evolution. Our program students visited the museum, enjoying a day filled with recreation, knowledge, and connection with nature.

Basketball Afternoon with the Harlem Globetrotters: A group of children from the Danzárea program participated in a basketball afternoon with the Harlem Globetrotters at Ciudad del Saber. The event was organized by the United States Embassy and the Panama American Center. The iconic Harlem Globetrotters were touring Panama, conducting sports workshops, hosting youth leadership talks, and sharing their love for basketball — a sport that originated in the United States.

Visit to the National Library and Omar Park: The students embarked on a day of recreation and bonding outside the foundation’s facilities. They visited the National Library, located at the Omar Recreational Park, where they learned about library processes, attended a talk on the subject, and later spent time enjoying the park’s amenities, playing and having fun with their peers.

PRISMA Festival: The PRISMA Festival is a contemporary dance cultural event held in Panama. All of the students in our dance program attended the 13th edition of this festival, which took place from October 11 to 19, 2024, in different theaters across Panama City. They experienced a total of eight international performances presented by artists from around the world, exposing them to an international level of artistic and cultural development typically accessible only through travel abroad.

Additionally, three of our students were selected through an audition process to be part of PRISMA LAB JUVENIL, a space in which young dancers at social risk can have the space to create and explore new forms of expression. They were part of the piece CIRCULACIONES, under the direction of the french choreographer Yvann Alexandre.

Highlight Performances in Seven Presentations: Various groups and students from the Danzárea program performed in several events, including the prestigious PRISMA Festival. For this, there was an open audition where dancers were selected based on their growth and performance. The completed performances included:

• Performance at the Anniversary of Panamá Viejo
• Performance at the ANCLA Festival in Colón
• Performance at the Annual Danzárea Program Showcase
• Performance at the Mañanitas Youth Center and Library
• PRISMA LAB Performance at the PRISMA Festival
• Graduation Showcase of the Danzárea Program, CON+TEMPLE