Mm-hmm

... and get to get even more exposure, get to meet artists you would never get to meet, get to perform with people.

And to me, I think that prepares them for college, conservatories, things like that.

And just the fact that they can see themselves, "I can do this.

I can do it, and I've been exposed to it early," I think that's really important.

Mm-hmm.

And there's so many opportunities for her.

Same for Adam, like so many opportunities.

What about college? How is this helping everyone? And not just Darlene, but other students as well.

Absolutely.

We've had some of the artists talk to our students about their lives and how some of them started off... doing different things and then going into dance, going to college for dance.

Everybody didn't go to college for dance, but they still pursued it.

We had one teacher who came in, one teaching artist who came in, and she's actually pursuing her doctorate in dance.

And just that experience and having that conversation with our students, I think that lit a flame under some of them like okay well maybe if I don't want to I can dance professionally but I can still get a degree in dance or I you know just give them options and those conversations really mean a lot I think those one-on-one conversations that you wouldn't necessarily get if you didn't have a program like this and even getting to see the performances because we saw a performance with Momix who was the residency that we just had and afterwards they were able they came out and took pictures with them and that that building those relationships is really important and It's a pleasure to see that and to have these opportunities for our students.

Well,

that's great.