Nonprofit connects dance with metro Atlanta community

ATLANTA - A nonprofit organization is putting on a special performance in Atlanta. The 501C-3 is called Dance Canvas.

Angela Harris founded the group 14 years ago.

"If you are never exposed to the possibilities it's hard for you to dream about it," Harris told Good Day Atlanta's Lindsay Tuman.

The goal for the organization is to give dancers and choreographers a way to showcase their talents.

"It's a really hard path as young artists are starting out in the industry. One of the really amazing things about Atlanta is we have so much artistic talent here that needs to be supported," she said.

More than 300 dancers and nearly 200 choreographers have come through the program. They've also worked with more than 10,000 Atlanta-area students.

"We also go into different high schools, our choreographers go out into the community and give workshops in the high schools that we partner with to students, so they can experience professional dance too," Harris said.

Middle and high school students are typically the first audience for the programs.

"We've done it in the past called ‘tweet critiques.’ where they can actually have their phones out during the performance," she said. "So we use it as a teaching tool for them in their language because social media is where they live."

The past two years have had challenges. Dance Canvas choreographers had to learn how to put on shows safely, and expand to online avenues. The nonprofit has also seen a lot of growth.

"There are quite a few dancers in our show that are new to Atlanta that were dancing in New York City or Los Angeles, or something like that, and they're back in Atlanta. Or they recently moved here because Atlanta is such a great city with so many opportunities," Harris said.

It's an opportunity for these artists and students to help grow city's cultural impact.

"We are such a wonderful both training ground but also an incubator for new ideas and I think that translates into the dance and arts world too," she said.

The shows are on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. at Georgia Tech's Ferst Theatre. The show will feature more than 40 professional dancers and choreographers from Atlanta, Miami, and Boston. You can find more information on the shows and the organization at the nonprofit's website.

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