FLYworks Mission:
Promoting dance as an artistic, fitness and character-building activity for youth.
FLY KiDS Dance Company
Showcase Group for FLYworks
Workshops for Teachers
Teaching Videos
Youth Dance Festivals
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About FLYworks
FLYworks is a non-profit organization created in 1999 to "help kids dance down the right path." Its mission is to promote youth dance programs as an artistic, fitness and character-building activity by providing quality dance training and performing opportunities for our Houston-area youth.
Fun, Positive Dance
The dance style that FLYworks is advocating is athletic, spirited, clean, contageous, and fun--kids love it and adults are proud to see their kids doing it. It is modeled on the highly entertaining style artistic director Kathy Wood created for FLY Dance Company in its earlier mission of school outreach performances and toured concerts. The popularity of this style was proven in over 200 FLY concerts performed in Houston, Texas, regionally, nationally, and internationly at performing venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and many others.This style of dance is great exercise. It uses many dance steps kids already know, adds gymnastic movement, weight sharing, some jazz, and a lot of clean-cut, fun movement taken from street dance.
Character-Building Fun
Being in a performing group requires a commitment to the team, setting goals, and working hard to achieve them. It builds confidence and self-esteem. And it's really fun!
Activities Under the FLYworks Mission
FLY KiDS Dance Company
To demonstrate this dance style to schools, potential donors, corporations, foundations, and the general public, FLYworks created FLY KiDS as a showcase group. It is made up of 15-20 formerly untrained dancers whose ages range from 11 to 14. FLY KiDS performs frequently as guests on local concerts, with other arts groups and functions, and at other arts and youth related events and venues such as Dance Houston, the Bayou City Arts Festival, the Houston Children's Festival, and the Houston Children's Museum. FLYworks believes "showing" is better than "telling." This group represents what we are advocating for inclusion in youth programs primarily in schools but also as other community youth groups.
Teacher Workshops and Lecture Demonstrations
To help schools and other organizations create programs like FLY KiDS, FLYworks offers workshops and lecture/demonstrations on site. They are presented by artistic director Kathy Wood, FLY KiDS director Rhonda Valencia, and education specialist Carolyn Portis. The first workshop is called "Take the Fear Out of Teaching Dance" and is recommended for elementary and middle school P.E. teachers wanting to add choreographed dancing to their program. "Developing a Successful After School Dance Program" and "Creating Fun Movement Activities in the Classroom" are the lecture/demonstrations currently available for schools and teachers state-wide.
Teaching Videos
To assist teaching dance in schools and to promote the FLY KiDS dance style, FLYworks produces training videos that teach choreographed pieces step by step. The first DVD (pictured at left) teaches the choreography to a piece called "I Believe". It is sold to help fund these programs.
Youth Dance Festivals
FLYworks believes that there are not nearly enough quality performing opportunities for youth art and particularly youth dance groups. FLYworks hosts youth dance festivals to give schools with elementary and middle school dance programs opportunities to show their work on a real stage in a theater in front of a large audience. It's a chance to see what other dance programs have achieved and interact with other teachers and students who share this common interest. We believe our festivals will serve as a dance forum and could inspire the participants to raise the level of their art and have fun doing it.
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