“Dancing is such an effective art form,” Cecily Stewart explains excitedly. “It widens the mind. It brings me so much joy. I want to share that with students.”
Cecily is a dancer, choreographer, and the education and outreach director for the State Street Ballet. “Some people just want to only dance,” Cecily tells me about her dedication to dance education. “That was never me.”
Four years ago, she founded Library Dances, which has produced dance and theater performances throughout Santa Barbara, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Legend of Zorro, Romeo & Pirouette, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet(te), and The Scarlet Letter. The purpose of the program is to combine literature and dance to make it more accessible to students. “We help students understand dance and movement,” she says, “assigning and recognizing meaning in the movement.”