DANCE

Hope Stone Dance concludes its season with its cutting-edge presentation of kid’s art entitled ONE, a one-hour production showcasing the young members of the Kid’s Play/YouthSound Ensemble. The must-see show features a fantastic array of dance, theater, music, photography and spoken word performed by 60 very talented 6- to 18-year-old students.

Hope Stone Inc.'s Kid's Play Ensemble and boys' band YouthSound, now in its ninth year, readies its newest production of cutting-edge kids' art with the premiere of "ONE."  Under the creative force of renowned modern dance choreographer Jane Weiner and the direction of master teachers, the 60+ art students, between the ages of 6 and 18, unite to bring their musical, theater, dance and photography visions to the theme of "one."

"ONE" was inspired by the power and change created by one man, Franklin McCain. On February 1, 1960, McCain and his three friends, the "Greensboro Four" as they would later be called, felt isolated and alone as they sat at the whites-only lunch counter at the Woolworth store on South Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were seeking more than the sodas, coffee and doughnuts they ordered; they were attacking the social order of their time. This single idea, a series of non-violent civil rights protests, led to the Woolworth store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States and started a movement that defined our culture and inspired a radical and powerful change.

It shows that one person, one idea and one thought can indeed affect immense change. The performance will take this theme and others centered on the word and the definition of "one" and weave it into an amazing, lively, engaging performance, all from the voice of our youth.