User:Coley lou/Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts

The Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts school that teaches musical theatre technique in a systematic and integrated curriculum of voice, dance and drama. All classes are taught by professional actors, dancers, and singers.

Located in North Minneapolis, the mission is to cultivate a love and knowledge of the performing arts so that young people will discover their unique gifts, their depth of character and imagine new possibilities for their lives. The studio offers affordable, high quality arts curriculum to all ages, all levels, and all backgrounds. Lundstrum Center also offers opportunities for students to work with and be mentored by Broadway veterans.

For those who are not professionally inclined, the performing arts are used as a vehicle to increase self-esteem, creativity, fitness, mental health, motor skills, and coordination.

Continuing in the tradition of it's founder, Dorothy Lundstrum, the values and guiding principles of the studio are:

· Respect the dignity of the individual

· True beauty is a reflection of God, it is 	  uplifting and comes from within

· Our philosophy is holistic: I am...mind, I can...body, I will...spirit

· Nurture children in mind, body and spirit to release their artistic capacity

History: The Lundstrum Studio began in the 1920's when a 15-year-old named Dorothy Lundstrum took over the Ascension School of Dance with her two sisters Lorraine and Marion. In those 80 years, Dorothy launched what proved to be an amazing legacy on the north side of Minneapolis. Thousands of children and youth growing up on Minneapolis’ north side studied dance, charm and fashion there and as the Twin Cities’ suburbs developed, parents drove their children great distances to study with Dorothy Lundstrum. When she passed away in November of 1998, North Minneapolis lost a principal arts benefactor. For over 80 years, she mentored thousands of students, teaching positive behavior, self-worth, and good citizenship, as well as dance and movement. Despite the increasing economic challenges and rising poverty and crime in the North neighborhood, Dorothy never wavered in her commitment to bring exceptional opportunities for success to her students. Dorothy willed her studio and life's work to the five Casserly sisters, daughters of her lifetime pupil and friend, Lois Melsha Casserly. In June of 2000 the doors reopened with an expanded curriculum specializing in training for Broadway Musical Theatre, creating a New York, Minneapolis network for visiting and local performing artists. Today a full performing arts curriculum capitalizes on the Casserlys’ professional expertise in music, dance, and acting for the stage and camera. The Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to fulfilling Dorothy’s mission. Since receiving a 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 2000, the Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts has served 3,066 students in 64 on-site programs, and many more in outreach programs.

In 2004, the Lundstrum Center had to leave its original home at Ascension Church and struggled to find a permanent space for its work in the North Minneapolis community. The Lundstrum Board and Casserly sisters were committed to keeping Lundstrum on the North side. Although this time was difficult, they did not give up. Their students inspired them to continue.

Lundstrum Center purchased a brand new building located at 1617 North Second Street. With the help of a small group of visionaries and funders, one-half of the new building opened in June of 2007 as a state-of-the-art training facility, housing dance, voice, and acting studios and administrative offices. The next phase of construction will include finishing a black-box instructional performance space within the building to expand the Center’s programming.

The Lundstrum Center is committed to planting seeds of possibility in every child who enters its doors. Whether they are just passing through or preparing for a career in the arts, the Lundstrum Center vows to instill our mentor’s belief that every person has dignity and is a unique gift to our world. Each person brings to the stage (whatever stage that might be) something that no one else can...oneself! Lundstrum provides advantaged access to kids who live in North Minneapolis through geographic access, reduced tuition, and opportunities to work with and be mentored by Broadway veterans. Our organization is a bridge for economically-disadvantaged kids and offers not only an outlet for creativity and expression, but a safe haven from the streets. Through our efforts in achieving our mission, we also rebuild our community one child at a time.