Autumn Years Winter 2023/24

at MarbleJam Kids create and attain skills with which they can build a career through arts and other programs. The students get to show their skills at performances such as the one DramaJam presented November 2 at the George Frey Center for Arts and Recreation in Fair Lawn. Tony-award nominee and honorable mention recipient Willie Wilson directs DramaJam, one of several programs held at other locations in New Jersey. He got the honor in the category of Excellence in Theater Education. On November 12, all-digital short films that were created by students in the 2023 Summer Workshop & Vision Arts Practicum were premiered at a red carpet event at the Barrymore Center in Fort Lee. The Vision Arts Filmmaking Practicum recently accepted its next cohort into a two-year program. Anna’s skills include self-care. She finds time for herself by taking dance class and ballroom dancing. She and her husband have a home in Italy where they can vacation. Those respites bring her back to the evolving approaches to helping autistic people. The people at MarbleJam improve the mental health and wellness of the person by exploring the arts and developing untapped skills and talents. She is exploring ways to expand the MarbleJam concept, perhaps with a blog or children’s series. The future being uncertain, she uses a positive approach to whatever comes next. “Don’t be afraid to move forward if you have trust,” Anna says. “You can’t go forward if you’re led by fear.” a

Anna explains that sometimes there is processing in the brain that does not happen, and to resolve that stress they might include the song “Singing in the Rain” to the dance scene. These approaches draw

on all her show business experience. From 1985 to 1990, she was a dancer singer with the Shubert Organization, from 1982 to 1988 co-producer MVP Productions and from 1989 to 1992 she was a spokesperson and performer for Adidas, as noted earlier. She translated all that experience into becoming a certified career planner. She helps people

ranging from happy to so-so to sad to angry. “Yes, we have meltdowns. We try to desensitize people who have bad reactions to a particular event. For instance, if rain gives a student stress, we slowly introduce a way of desensitizing them. We might do a little dance scene that includes opening an umbrella.”

MARBLEJAM CENTER FOR CREATIVE ARTS AND ENRICHMENT 214 State Street • Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-497-6512 • https://marblejam.org/

The center is dedicated to improving the lives of children, adolescents and adults by providing them with various programs. Creative arts modalities are used to give the local community an avenue to express themselves and overcome their personal challenges.

The 5,200-square-foot facility is ADA-compliant and accessible to multiple handicapped individuals. The center consists of eight studio spaces for learning digital arts, fine arts, music, dance and martial arts and provides appropriate space for creative arts therapies. MarbleJam employs a professional staff of educators, teaching artists, creative art therapists, trained support staff and administrators. February 16 MarbleJam Kids Fundraiser Gala 2024 Honoring Amy Gravino Contact robin.diprimo@marblejamkids.org for sponsorship, journal ads and auction donations.

WINTER 2023/24 I AUTUMN YEARS 33