Giving Back
*Healing Hearts Through the Arts – Women and children in domestic violence shelters – Kristen Loeb is currently working at Safehome providing dance, stretch/yoga classes to the women and children to decrease physical and emotional stress, build self-confidence, and give tools that can be used outside of class for relaxation and recreation.
*SPARK – Children of Kansas City – Every year, we hold 2 children’s shows, free of charge, to expose up to 1000 children to the arts that may have never been given the opportunity. After the show, the dancers have a Q&A session with the children to discuss the emotional content of the show and how the children can get involved in the arts. We feel, in the world we live in, it is important to keep children’s creativity and imagination active parts of their education. From 2008-2010
, Seamless has served over 3500 children in this program from the KCMO, KCK, Leavenworth, Olathe & Shawnee Mission school districts.
*Project Dance – Dance Scholarship – For the 2008-2009 school year, we have selected La’Keia Rambo as our Project Dance recipient. She is five years old and attends United Dance Center in Kansas City. La’Keia had a Astrocytoma tumor on the left side of her brain causing her to have a stroke. The tumor was removed and La’Keia now wears a brace on her right leg and receives rehabilitation on her right arm and leg. La’Keia’s mother can no longer afford to pay for dance lessons due to her medical bills. We are excited to help La’Keia continue with her dance lessons for another year!
2009-2010- Congratulations to Ashley Burkeen!
2010-2011- Congratulations to Haley Zimmerman!
2011-2012- Shanna Colbern from the UMKC dance conservatory & Caroline Kampschroeder!
Project Access- Seamless is now pairing up with students from the KU occupational therapy department to bring dance to children with special needs. Kids involved in this program take a one hour dance class every week, hosted by Starstruck Performing Arts Center in Lenexa, KS. Children learn dance skills as well as a performance routine which they do at various events and competitions in the Kansas City area! For more information, contact seamlessdance@hotmail.com or starstruckpac@everestkc.net
*People of Kansas City – I feel that the subjects of my choreography are focused on things that one, some, or all of us experience in life. Do you remember where you were on the morning of September 11th? Do you remember what it feels like to fall in love? Have you ever had a friend be a victim of domestic violence? These, along with many other social issues, are the basis of Seamless. I believe that communicating through movement brings every emotion that exists, some that words cannot even describe, to life. Using the connection of emotion and movement, I hope to bring people to understand that we are all connected by our emotions and that none of us are alone in our journey through life. There is something comforting about realizing that you are not the only one who has had your heart broken or struggle to find beauty in your own physical image. Some may think it’s a crazy idea to believe such a feeling can come from a “make believe” dance. But I believe that dance has the ability to sweep you away and rid the line between reality and fantasy, taking you away and helping you experience emotions you have never felt or reliving moments in your own life. In this, you come to realize that we are all in this together, going through the same battles as the person on stage or even in the row behind you. Life is life. We refer good and bad to it. But once we realize that we are all seamlessly connected, somehow the journey doesn’t seem so scary.
-Erin Novak, Founder & Artistic Director