BOUNCE seeks to offer community engagement workshops in a collaborative effort to help introduce and expose young people to theatre and music through the game of basketball. The workshops allow youth to learn basketball dribbling fundamentals, gain basic theatre and music knowledge, combine the two elements of art and sport to express their creativity and, most importantly, the gain the chance to better understand the complexities of growing up in today’s world.

The beauty of BOUNCE lies within its relevance. Each outreach event can offer something different depending on what message the group of students needs to hear most. First, the Director of Community Engagement coordinates with a representative from each school, and asks about specific topics they would like to see addressed. This provides a better understanding and direction on how to creatively craft the message and the activities for the students.

LEXINGTON, KY, OCT 2017

In anticipation of the November premiere, BOUNCE partnered with Lexington, KY area organizations and schools to offer community engagement workshops in a collaborative effort to help introduce and expose youth to theatre and music through the game of basketball. The workshops allowed youth to learn basketball dribbling fundamentals, gain basic theatre and music knowledge, combine the two elements of art and sport to express their creativity, and most importantly, have the chance to better understand the complexities of growing up in today’s world. The workshop was led by BOUNCE cast members—the Basketball Ensemble team.

At Crawford Middle School, BOUNCE was asked to address gun violence and conflict resolution, as the week prior there were two separate instances where students brought guns to school. The team was able to discuss the friction between the two main characters, “Future” and “Flight,” and ultimately share the consequences of Future’s poor and rushed judgement. This was followed up by further discussing the impact gun violence can have on the lives of the shooter, victims, and their families, themes inherent to BOUNCE.

Finally, the workshop ended on a positive note by teaching conflict resolution by allowing the students and cast to get to know one another through a hip-hop cypher. This allows kids to share their talents and express themselves through spoken word, dance, dribbling and/or singing, helping them see that they have an entire gym of students, faculty and staff, and strangers working with them, and rooting for them!


EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN, NY, JUN 2016

Ardea Arts presented Showcase Performances of BOUNCE at Paerdegat Park in East Flatbush, Brooklyn in June 2016. Pairing diverse casting with a fresh approach to arts engagement, local high school students, ranging from Business of Sports School (BOSS) in Manhattan to EBC High School for Public Service in Bushwick, Brooklyn, worked alongside seasoned professionals and integrated into the production using the powerful medium of basketball. They became the basketball players, the cheerleaders, and Flight’s classmates and teammates. Local and national community leaders, including figures such as Officer Robert Thybulle of the NYPD, and Jumaane Williams of the New York City Council and recent NY State Lieutenant Governor candidate, also played a number of the adult roles.


KAISER PARK, BROOKLYN, NY, SEPT 2014

Ardea Arts, in partnership with the City Parks Foundation presented Bounce: The Basketball Performance Event for children age 10– 18 and their families, at Kaiser Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn on Sunday, September 14, 2014. Kids enjoyed a ball handling workshop, a performance of words and music by noted performers, and got the chance to be filmed showing off their basketball skills and expressing their creativity.