All Stars Project of Dallas participates in 3rd Annual Let’s Talk Police & Youth Forum
Published by Christina DiChiara
On July 27th, the All Stars Project of Dallas participated in the 3rd Annual Let’s Talk Police & Youth Forum hosted by the Dallas Police Department! With a record breaking 1,400 individuals in attendance Let’s Talk took place at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. The focus for this year’s event was “community first” and throughout the day, the Dallas Police Department engaged young people ages 10-15 in a discussion promoting positive interactions between the community and law enforcement. The speakers shared tips on how to become successful, and the importance of putting your community first.
During the event, All Stars Talent Show Network youth and Dallas Police Department officers collaborated to create a moving hip-hop performance for the event. Directed by ASP of Dallas City Leader Antoine Joyce and and Program Coordinator Racquel McBay, the performance included singing, rapping, and a mix of contemporary, hip-hop and salsa dancing.
In preparation for the Forum, performers met twice a week for two weeks for rehearsal, which always began with a performance game to break the ice and included collaborative conversation about the purpose of Let’s Talk and the type of impact that the group was looking to have through their performance.
The final performance was met with rousing applause from the audience and everyone enjoyed being a part of creating such a meaningful experience. After the event, a parent of one of our youth leaders shared, “I know that each one of them had a wonderful time. The kids talked about the event all day. Any opportunity they have to share their love of dance and make new friends truly makes them happy!”
This is one of many partnership activities with the police department and we are excited to continue to to build community together as we create a New Performance of Police-Community Relations in Dallas!