Suzanne and Nathaniel Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts
| Type | Not-for-profit Arts Camp |
|---|---|
| Location | Wheatley Heights (Town of Babylon) Long Island, NY |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Executive Director | Ms. Lauren Brandt Schloss |
| Campus | 70 Studios and Theaters on 140 acres |
| Mission Statement | Usdan is a summer arts camp that provides an educational setting for children to develop artistic skills, regardless of their level of talent. Guided by a professional faculty, students participate in public performances and exhibits that reflect the high standards sought by their teachers and conductors. The goal is for them to leave Usdan with the arts as a lifetime companion. The camp's philosophy is reflected in Suzanne Usdan's inspirational message: "Lose yourself for a summer. Find yourself for a lifetime." |
| Website | www |
Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts (often referred to as "Usdan") is a not-for-profit summer arts camp situated on 140 woodland acres in Wheatley Heights, Long Island, NY. Usdan opened in 1968 and now enrolls 1,500 students ages 4–18. Usdan has been declared a “Best Of” camp by TimeOutNY/Kids, and by NY Metro Parents. The Center has been profiled in the New York Times, Time Magazine, and in numerous print and online publications. Usdan's 40,000 alumni include actresses Natalie Portman, Jackie Hoffman, Olivia Thirlby, Stacey London, and Lisa Gay Hamilton; singers Jane Monheit, Taylor Dayne, and Mariah Carey; Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, Grammy-Award winning producer Adam Abeshouse, Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky, Juilliard conductor Adam Glaser, and members of major American orchestras, dance and theater companies. The camp is named for the daughter of the late philanthropist Samuel Lemberg.
Usdan was established to provide children with the arts as a companion for life through great teaching and the camaraderie of fellow students whose bond is their love of the arts. The Center features more than 40 programs of study. The Music Department offers orchestra, band, chorus, guitar, chamber music, jazz ensemble, and piano. The Dance Department offers ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, dance lab, Usdan Dance Ensemble: Ballet, Ailey and Graham techniques, Pilobolus:Moving and Making, and introduction to dance. The Theater Department offers the Usdan Troupe, musical theater, stagecraft 101, drama, and theater adventure The Visual Arts Department offers painting, ceramics, sculpture, metalsmithing, photography, mobile photography and video, filmmaking, sewing and fashion design, comic art, video game art and design, animation, experimental animation and cartooning, art adventure, lego design, and building with minecraft. Other majors include creative writing, chess, nature and ecology, organic gardening, and sustainable art: little changes with little sun. A special feature of each student’s program is attendance at the camp's series of daily assemblies known as the Festival Concerts. These are performances by distinguished artists and by Usdan students as well. World famous artists who have appeared on this series include Mariah Carey, Andre Watts, Yo-Yo Ma, The King's Singers, Earl Wild, Ruggiero Ricci, James Galway, Canadian Brass, Tokyo String Quartet, Emanuel Ax. Jazz artists have included Jimmy Heath, Marian McPartland, Billy Taylor, Randy Brecker, Bobby Watson, and Jane Monheit. Dance companies include New York City Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pilobolus, and the José Limón Dance Company. Cast members from current Broadway shows perform on this series, and many also work with students as visiting master teachers.
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