Have you ever thought that Meaford Culture Foundation is only about Meaford Hall? Or only about the Arts? Meaford Culture Foundation is about building better lives.
In the fall of 2021, mid year two of the COVID pandemic, the Meaford Culture Foundation was approached by Georgie Donais, Director, Mutable ARTS Dance and Aerial Art Studio, to support two students participating in her dance school.
Chantel White (now 14 years old) and Katrina Kelly-Harvey (10 years old) love dance and movement. Georgie had been teaching Chantel and Katrina almost from the day Georgie opened the studio in 2016.
Chantel and Katrina have shown the commitment, love, and promise that can change life views and attitudes. In 2021, both students wanted to level up their dance training and needed some financial support to do so. Georgie went to work to identify possible resources. That’s when Meaford Culture Foundation stepped up to fund these promising students.
Thanks in part to Meaford Culture Foundation funding, Chantel and Katarina have acquired irreplaceable tools for life.
Since the fall of 2021, both Chantel and Katrina have been involved in the Mutable Arts Performance Company. The Performance Company entails a commitment of time (both girls are in the studio at least twice a week), and involves acquiring a broad range of skills. Beyond preparing for performances, The Performance Company is a cooperative group of dance students who, together, learn how to plan, organize, stage, choreograph, and lead in performance. All this while having access to several forms of dance – independently and synchronizing with others.
Today, only a few months later, Georgie is proud of Chantel’s and Katrina’s journey and believes both girls have truly benefited for life from being able to participate in the Performance Company program.
The pandemic may have weakened some spirits, but Chantel and Katrina have most certainly come away with higher self esteem, and in addition to dance skills – life skills – which otherwise they may not have learned with so much joy.
“Meaford Culture Foundation – making a difference in the very fabric of our community’s foundation through the Arts,” said the organization.
