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Academy gives arts a home

North Greenwood Performing Arts Academy fills a gap left by the old Kings Highway Recreation Center with the sights and sounds of art in many forms.

CLEARWATER - Drama and dance are headlining the cultural rebirth of North Greenwood as the community welcomes a school for people serious about performing on and behind the stage.

The North Greenwood Performing Arts Academy will offer tap, ballet, salsa and African dance classes, along with modeling, band instruction, acting and theater production.

The school is taking shape in the old Kings Highway Recreation Center at 1751 Kings Highway.

"This is something that people will be proud of," said Maurice Mickens, an amateur playwright and president of the Mount Carmel Community Development Corporation of Clearwater, which owns the academy. "Children do better in math and science when they are exposed to the arts."

Mickens envisions a center where students can pay for high-class instruction while local artists have access to premium dance and audition space. Classes start this summer with a special arts camp.

Teachers from Ruth Eckerd Hall, the region's professional performing arts center, will teach students formal dance techniques. Several community groups, from Klassy Kids modeling agency, to Dundu Dole African dance troupe, will also call the Academy home.

Mount Carmel Baptist Church created the nonprofit community development corporation so that it could use grants and donations to administer a local, secular community program in its own back yard.

"It's going to provide jobs for people, training for youth and adults, and I think it's going to motivate youth to stay in school because the fine arts has a tendency of doing that," said Naomi Williams, church member and board chairwoman of the Mount Carmel CDC.

To help jumpstart the effort, the city will waive the cost of rent for five years and the cost of electricity for one year. The city also will maintain the space until the Academy turns a profit. In turn, the Academy is seeking donations of wooden flooring and needs about $15,000 to finance the summer program. Fees will be determined in the near future, as will the number of students.

Sandwiched between two elementary schools, the Kings Highway Recreation Center had previously offered some performing arts classes and became an unofficial kid's hangout. When the city opened the North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Center, several Kings Highway employees were transferred to the new facility and the rec center closed.

Mount Carmel taking over was part of the city's master plan.

"We did a cultural plan that we presented to our City Council and one of the goals was to make certain that arts education was accessible to all citizens," said Margot Walbolt, Clearwater's cultural affairs manager. "Hopefully we will train young people in the skills of the arts and those skills are often quite needed."

Mount Carmel's CDC has an advisory board and a board of trustees, many of whom are working to secure donations for the Academy prior to the June session. A Saturday ribbon-cutting event showcased the talents of local ballet and African dancers to city officials and community members.

SBT, a local jet ski engine remanufacturer, has already contributed thousands to the cause. Greg Pickren, SBT's owner, gave some $10,000 to help pay for ballet barres, wall-to-wall mirrors, a security system and paint for the Academy.

"The vast majority of our workers live in North Greenwood," said Pickren. "I think it's important for the community to have a little bit of everything and to be well-rounded."

Ruth Eckerd Hall will provide five teachers for the summer program, which will focus on the dance, culture and foods of Hispanic, African and Asian nations. Drama classes will also be offered.

"They will learn who they are, they will learn a lot about their talents, of what they can do," said Blue Feliu, an accomplished dancer and community arts liaison with Ruth Eckerd. "The arts are another way of expressing."

Mickens, who is donating his time to run the Academy, admits the idea is ambitious. A native New Yorker, he grew up just blocks from the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The exposure led him to embrace writing and producing plays, a love he hopes to share.

"This gives us a sense of ourselves, a sense of self worth," said Mickens, also a deacon at Mount Carmel. "(We hope) to teach employable skills to young people who have been branded unteachable, but have special skills and gifts that need to be cultivated."

- Adrienne Samuels can be reached at 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com

To donate to the North Greenwood Performing Arts Academy or for information on classes, call Maurice Mickens at 1751 Kings Highway Road, Clearwater, FL 33755. (727) 447-4461.