News online for Encinitas, Calif.

North Coast Current

News online for Encinitas, Calif.

North Coast Current

News online for Encinitas, Calif.

North Coast Current

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Encinitas to host first arts fest

The city of Encinitas Commission for the Arts presents its first Encinitas Arts Festival on May 5.

Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, the festival’s aim is to celebrate the importance of arts in education, according to a city news release. In keeping with the theme “Passport to the Arts,” the festival will offer dance, theater and music performances on two stages by students and professionals; dance and hands-on art workshops; student visual art exhibits; performance art; an outdoor drum circle and a PTA showcase.

Mayor Jerome Stocks and Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Timothy Baird will launch the festival at 10 a.m. Another goal of the festival is to highlight arts education in Encinitas public and private schools.

“Research shows that the arts are vital to student success,” Baird said in the city announcement. “Arts education is linked to higher test scores across all subjects, as well as lower dropout rates. It fosters creativity and imagination, hallmarks of careers in the 21st century. Beyond the classroom, the arts are shown to nurture collaboration and civic engagement in young people.”

The festival will feature 23 performances from groups such as the North Coast Symphony, Olivenhain Pioneer Honor Choir, Intrepid Shakespeare, West Coast Martial Arts, Glitter Dance Company, Ocean Knoll Dolphin Sounds, Connections Chamber Music and Peter Sprague.

“Encinitas is a city filled with art and artists,” city Arts Administrator Jim Gilliam said in the announcement. “An arts festival is an important way to showcase student and professional talent and celebrate their artistic accomplishments.”

“We want the community to experience learning in the arts first-hand to better understand why all students need arts education,” Sandra Jordan, Encinitas Alliance for Arts Education coordinator, said in the news release. The organization is part of the California Alliance for Arts Education, whose aim is to raise awareness among state, county and local elected officials about the value of arts education in schools.

The festival is free of charge. The Encinitas Community and Senior Center is located at 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive in Encinitas. For the full schedule, visit the city’s website.

For more information, call Gilliam at 760-633-2746 or email [email protected]. To per-register for the six dance workshops, visit www.eventbrite.com and enter “Encinitas Arts Festival.”

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Encinitas to host first arts fest