Trinity Arts Center dancers in their production of "God With Us."
Trinity Arts Center, Johnson City, Tennessee, is a multi-disciplinary arts school offering classes in dance, fine art, music and theater. Jami and Tanya Rathbun founded the school 10 years ago, and it has grown to include 35 instructors, four studios, 10 private lesson rooms, two classrooms, and more than 800 students for the 2016-17 school year.
The center's dance program consists of a core classical ballet program, complemented with jazz, contemporary, modern, hip-hop and tap. Students can begin pre-ballet at age 3. There are also class options for adults and casual participants.
Committed dance students can participate up to 12 hours per week, with additional opportunities for instruction with guest artists or during the center's summer intensive program. In addition, they offer once-a-week options for those with limited schedules or for whom dance is a secondary or extracurricular option.
The center's students have gone on to attend and participate in ballet programs and companies around the country. For the serious students, the center offer a path to a professional career in dance. For the casual participant, it offers an encouraging environment to be healthy, participate in community and express themselves through the arts.
"I think that the most unique characteristic of our school, and our vision for the arts, is our approach. We base everything we do on a Christian perspective of how the arts should be expressed - as a gift that is given to us in order that we can serve and love others. With that perspective, we are always working to find creative ways to connect the Gospel into our expression of ourselves, and to tell compelling stories of our shared condition and God's love for us, Jamie Rathbun says.
"For some, dance (and all of the arts) is where they find their voice, and find their place in the world, community, church and in life. For others, the arts are a connecting point of shared humanity and experience - a way to feel known and connected and alive, through the shared expression of common experiences. From participants to patrons, from performers to audience members, from administrators and instructors to students and artists, the arts are a meaningful and necessary connecting point for human existence and for life. Without expressions of art, it would be impossible to express or experience a shared humanity or sense of community. We need art to live," Rathbun says.
Trinity Arts Center hosts "Classical Keepsakes," kid-friendly versions of classical ballets, throughout the year. They also have an annual Christmas production, "God With Us," a full-length contemporary ballet that features a mix of traditional and contemporary Christmas music.
"We are not a competition school. Our dance program offers a classical ballet education that is complemented by other styles, but remains focused primarily on expressing the art, athleticism and technique of dance through performance, rather than through competition. Our students have been recognized with scholarships and awards over the years, as well as participation in elite summer programs and professional dance companies. From choreographers to performers, teachers and artists, our students have gone on to win the respect of the national organizations and communities that honor their craft, and have gone on to influence their world on the stages and with the opportunities they've been given.
"At Trinity Arts Center, we approach the arts as an expression of truth, played out as passionate stories that we communicate through the movement of our bodies, lyrics, music, songs, lights, colors, costumes, moods, scripture, spoken words and more. We believe that art is meaningful, that stories are inspirational, that music is universal, that dance is beautiful, that creativity is valuable and that God is good," Rathbun says.
For more information, visit www.trinityartscenter.com or call 423-926-6048.
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