Visionary Dance Theatre and Kidz Danz Kompany hosts best-selling author, artist and teacher J. Ruth Gendler

Visionary Dance Theatre (VDT) and Kidz Danz Kompany (KDK) are excited to announce that we will be hosting best-selling author, artist and teacher J. Ruth Gendler on May 5th-6th in San Diego to facilitate a workshop and see KDK's production titled "Ballet My Way".

On May 6th from 4pm-5:30pm at the San Diego Performing Arts Center (4579 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego, CA, 92120) will be facilitating the custom workshop titled "Qualities of Creativity: Dancing with Words". In this experiential workshop, J. Ruth Gendler, author of the bestselling The Book of Qualities, shares her approach to the creative process and offers participants new ways to write. This workshop is for everyone - those who love to write and those who would rather be dancing.

On May 5th-6th @ 7pm, Kidz Danz Kompany presents our spring dance concert titled "Ballet My Way" at the San Diego Performing Arts Center (4579 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego, CA, 92120). Founding Artistic Director Spencer John Powell will premiere two new works. The first, "In the Land of Qualities - A Ballet", is a fun new fairy tale inspired by "The Book of Qualities" by J. Ruth Gendler. This work explores the Human Qualities within us all, such as Fear, Power, Charm and Joy, etc. The second work by the Artistic Director is titled "My Mother's Son", a deeply moving work which will include all of the male dancers of KDK. Included in this work will be a very special appearance by the male dancers of Visionary Dance Theatre who will join them on stage for this beautiful piece. Join us as we celebrate the world of Ballet in our own way. We break all the rules of ballet and still capture the brilliance of classical ballet. Come down and see as KDK mixes Ballet with Hip Hop, Modern, and just some plain old dancing-fun!

"We are so very excited to host J. Ruth Gendler. I was very inspired as a young man when I first read 'The Book of Qualities'. I'm excited to finally create a work from that inspiration. I'm even more excited to meet J. Ruth Gendler in person. It's a dream come true. I am grateful to J. Ruth Gendler for sharing her time, passion and soul with us. I would like to openly thank her for giving this opportunity to our kids, parents, and patrons to meet and learn from her." - Spencer John Powell, Artistic Director of Visionary Dance Theatre

*****

Author, artist and teacher J. Ruth Gendler is committed to the importance of the arts in daily life. Gendler wrote and illustrated the best-selling The Book of Qualities and award winning Notes the Need for Beauty, and edited the anthology, Changing Light: The Eternal Cycle of Night and Day. She has exhibited her art work nationally and led workshops in creativity and writing for children and adults for thirty-five years.

Kidz Danz Kompany, San Diego's premier childrens dance company, is a youth and performance-based program that explores all dance genres with a strong theatre background. KDK is unique by producing professional-level dance concerts and preparing young dancers for a life in the performing arts by providing professional-level training and coaching. This distinguished, critically acclaimed children's dance company was founded in 1994 by Spencer John Powell in Utah and now is hosted by Visionary. "KDK reminds us that a child's world doesn't have to be sanitized and schmaltzy. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for and able to process more than we think." - San Diego Theatre Reviews