Meet the Contestants of SYTYCD-- Milledgeville Part I

A.A.C. present's SYTYCD-Milledgeville's first four of  eight contestants for this year's inaugural show. Learn about each's background in dance. You can also watch them perform live for a $500 cash prize at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in Magnolia Ballroom.

Alexis French

The 8-year-old hip-hop entertainer has been dancing since age 4. A student of Blandy Hills Elementary School, Alexis spends afterschool hours training at Cultural Connection. “I have attitude when I dance,” said Alexis. “It’s something I really enjoy doing after school.” Alexis dances in support of charity Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Colin McCabe

The 9-year-old hip-hop dancer has been popping, locking and break dancing since age 4. A student of John Milledge Academy in Milledgeville, Colin enjoys this particular dance genre because it’s fun and requires a lot of energy. He trains at Vibe Dance Center. “All of the us are good,” Colin said. “Hip-hop is popular, so I hope my family and friends enjoy watching me do what I love.” Colin dances in support of charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Brianna Cleveland

The 11-year-old fuses acrobatics and hip-hop for an unforgettable performance. An Oak Hill Middle School student, Brianna trains at Cultural Connection. She has been dancing since age 3 and compares her dance style to musical sensation Beyoncé. “I can make the crowd go ahhhhh,” she said. “I’m a natural entertainer when it comes to performing on stage.” Brianna dances in support of charity Project Hope.

Irene Backstrom

The 18-year-old classical, spiritual, hip-hop and African dancer is a passionate performer, who has trained for the past four years with dance group Godly Steps. Irene is a senior at Baldwin High School. “I dance with a determined attitude and tenacious spirit,” said Irene. “I put my heart and a whole lot of hard work into my dance.” Irene dances in support of charity National Association of the Deaf.

SYTYCD -- Milledgeville is less than a week away. Get your TICKETS today! 

SYTYCD--Milledgeville is almost here

This week prepare to meet the finalists for A.A.C.'s inaugural SYTYCD—Milledgeville competition that takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in Magnolia Ballroom. We guarantee you will be amazed by their moves.

SYTYCD-Milledgeville's New Cast Members

The results of A.A.C.'s  Last Chance Auditions brought several new dancers into the running for the $500 dollar SYTYCD-Milledgeville Prize. This weekend the new dancers limbered up and showcased their talents during rehearsal at the Wellness Center at Georgia College.

Discount tickets for SYTYCD-- Milledgeville are now on sale. Get yours today! TICKETS

Also checkout our Facebook Event and show support for your favorite contestant.

*Proceeds from the event help support future community arts events in Milledgeville, GA.

A.A.C. Supports Literacy

Members of A.A.C.'s D.N.S.T.P. chapter at Georgia College pose for a photo with students from Baldwin County High School's Youth Poetry Collective--Team Spit Dat. The two groups united at the Baldwin County Literacy Fair Jan. 26, 2013.

Members reminded youth about the power of literacy by creating personalized bookmarks and conducting a live performance poetry reading during the fair. Discover more about A.A.C. by visiting our website and volunteering for other A.A.C. events. 

New Dance Competition Hits Milledgeville

Contestants of A.A.C.'s first community dance competition, "So You Think You Can Dance — Milledgeville," practice their group dance at Georgia College's Wellness and Recreation Center this weekend for our Saturday, March 9, show. Stay tuned to learn more details about the event and each dancer.

Do Good this Holiday Season

 
   

GoodSearching and GoodShopping this holiday season is the ultimate way to do-good while shopping and searching this holiday season. GoodSearch allows you to support your favorite charity at no cost to you by searching the web or making discounted purchases through GoodShop. We figured these are things you're going to do anyway, why not do it for a good cause?

To get started click the logo above, choose Art as an Agent for Change, and start searching and shopping. That's it. Happy GoodSearching!

Tips and Truths with A.A.C. - Constructive Criticism

By Melissa Cobb

This week's random truth reveals a bit more about the phenomenal Stevie Wonder!

One aspect of being in the field of creative writing that can be frustrating is having your work critiqued because it can be hard to know how people will react. On the other hand, critiquing someone else can be difficult because you want to be able to candidly express how he or she can improve his or her piece, but you don’t want to hurt his or her feelings. To make this a little bit easier, here are a few tips on taking constructive criticism and how to give constructive criticism.

Taking Constructive Criticism:

1. The most important thing to remember when someone is critiquing your piece is that anything they say about the piece does not reflect your worthiness as a person or anything like that. All this person wants to do is help you make this piece the best that it can. Also, it helps to remember that not every piece you write is going to be wonderful at first, nor is every piece going to be horrible.
2. If you disagree with something the person critiquing your work points out, instead of getting angry, ask them to explain why they feel this way and listen to what he or she says. You might get some really good insight.
3. Write down any criticism the person says on your piece so you can look at it later. This will help you get started revising.
4. Thank the person for critiquing your piece when the two of you finish.
5. Leave the piece alone for a few hours or a few days to let the critiques sink in, an then look back at the person’s comments and start revising.

 Giving Constructive Criticism

1. The most important thing to remember when critiquing another person’s work is to be candid about what he or she needs to revise but not to the detriment of the person’s self-esteem. Think of it as you helping this person make their work the best it can be rather than pointing out everything that is wrong with it.
2. Point out what the person needs to revise and why, and be specific and thorough.
3. Point out any strong elements of the piece and why they worked well.
4. Answer any questions the person has for you after you finish critiquing his or her piece.

Random Truth of the Week: It’s common knowledge that singer Stevie Wonder is blind, but it is not as well known that he also cannot smell.