Marion Art Center unveils spring art, dance programs

Feb 19, 2022

The Marion Art Center will offer new art and dance classes starting later this spring.

The new program “Intro to Theatrical Dance” will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evenings from March 23 to April 27, the center said in a press release. The class is meant for adults 18 and older, and it will be taught by Alex Valentine, an instructor with almost 25 years of dance experience.

The class will teach different kinds of dance seen in theater, like jazz, lyrical and tap. Students of all skill levels are encouraged to join.

The six-week program costs $125 for art center members and $150 for nonmembers. Students are advised to wear loose clothing and dance shoes, if they have them, though soft sneakers are also allowed.

Another new program, “Advanced Watercolor Painting for Adults,” will run from March 18 to May 6.

Instruct Jay Ryan will lead students from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday mornings at the art center’s studio. Cost for the entire eight-week session is $195 for center members and $220 for nonmembers, though students can also drop in for individual lessons for $30 per day.

The course is helpful for people with some painting experience and students will start a new painting in each class. Every class will include a short group critique of each other’s work.

Registration for both programs is available at marionartcenter.org/adult-classes.

The art center’s spring Dance Academy will begin on March 7 and run every Monday afternoon through May 16, except for April school vacation. Instructor Erin Murphy will lead classes for students from preschool to preteen in the center’s upstairs gallery.

The program is designed for dancers ages 3-12, the release states.

The 10-week session costs $175 for members and $195 for nonmembers. Registration is available at marionartcenter.org/mac-dance-academy.

Anyone participating in a Marion Art Center program must present proof of vaccination before the program starts, and masks are required inside the art center.