NJGAAE Save the Date: Thursday, May 26th at the War Memorial in Trenton!

The New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education are thrilled to announce one of our special guest speakers for this year’s ceremony: dancer, choreographer, performer and Governor’s Awards alum Malcolm Miles Young. This month, Malcolm made his Broadway debut in The Lion King. Congratulations!

 Team NJGAAE couldn’t be more proud of this incredible achievement and are so grateful to have him as a part of our network.

Malcolm received the Student Award for Artistic Excellence and Leadership in Dance from Dance New Jersey in 2018. Dance education has had a formative impact on his life on and off the stage. He reflects, “The dance studio is where I learned some of the most vital lessons that I apply to my everyday life. Arts education is extremely essential not only as an outlet of expression, but as a laboratory that cultivates exploration, experimentation, and growth.”

Since receiving a Governor’s Award Malcolm shared his professional bio with us: “He graduated in May 2021 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology from New York University. During his studies, Malcolm has performed works by several renowned choreographers including Bill T. Jones, Shamel Pitts, Al Blackstone, Janice Rosario, and has performed with the cast of Disney’s Broadway musical Newsies, choreographed by Christopher Gatelli. His work was selected as a 2021 Palm Springs International Dance Festival award winner and was featured in a Dance Magazine article about how his collegiate dance experience has shifted during the Coronavirus pandemic. He was a company member with Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, the Padierna Dance Project Rehearsal Director/Company Member, and served as the Spring 2021 Chief Philanthropy Officer Intern at American Ballet Theatre.”

What do the arts mean to Malcolm? He shares, “In whatever medium, art reflects humanity. It is how brush strokes on a canvas symbolize the many colors that add excitement to society, how vocal melodies and instrumentation imitate the ranges of human emotion, and how the threading together of movement in dance mirrors the physicality of our existence—one minute, liquid like blood rushing through our veins and the next, strong like the heartbeat that makes it flow.” Malcolm’s beautiful words remind us that the deep, human impact of arts education is part of what makes it essential. That’s why the NJ Governor’s Awards in Arts Education represent an opportunity for arts students and arts education leaders in all disciplines to come together in ultimate reflection of everything that the arts represent.

There’s even more to look forward to at this year’s Governor’s Awards – we’re thrilled to be returning to the War Memorial in Trenton after two years of celebrating virtually. Some of our team members visited the magnificent space last week to explore possibilities for this year’s ceremony. That being said, we have learned a lot from the past two years that we want to keep with us as we return to an in-person venue.

The event will still be live streamed from the building ensuring that if you or a loved one is unable to attend, you can still join us safely from the comfort of your own home. Check out some photos from our venue visit here, and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@njgovawardsartsed), Facebook (@njgaae) and Twitter (@NJGAAE) for more updates to come.

 

 

As Malcolm Miles Young puts it, “Arts education is desperately necessary for students as storytellers, contributors to society, and living human beings.” We couldn’t have put it any better ourselves. The Governor’s Awards team can’t wait to celebrate arts education’s impact throughout New Jersey with you on May 26th!

 

 

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The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education began in 1980 to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts, recognizing the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. Each year, awards are presented to approximately 20 educators and 80 students. National and statewide organizations select the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and visual arts and the leaders for their exceptional commitment and contribution to arts education. The program also recognizes arts educators and arts education advocates, whose leadership has helped nurture the development of students in the arts across the state.

432 High Street Burlington, NJ 08016

info@artsednj.org

The Governor’s Awards event is a partnership of the Arts Ed NJ, the Department of Education, Art Pride New Jersey Foundation, the Department of State and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by: the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics; Art Educators of New Jersey; Art Administrators of New Jersey; Dance New Jersey; New Jersey Council of Teachers of English; New Jersey Speech and Debate League; New Jersey Music Educators Association; New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Writer's Theatre of New Jersey; Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey; New Jersey Thespians and Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The cooperating organizations, award sponsors and individual members of the planning council dedicate their time to make sure that excellence in the arts is rewarded, and work tirelessly throughout the year to plan this special event. The Governor's Awards in Arts Education ceremony are a major collaborative effort of the arts, education and state government.