About us
Our Mission
Positive Energy Arts believes in the power of dance arts education to engage, enrich, and inspire students in schools through partnerships with artists and communities across Central Pennsylvania.
Our Founding Story
Thomas K. Flagg, Artistic Director, and William Shipley III, chairman of The Shipley Group, co-founded Positive Energy Arts in 2012 in response to the decline in arts education in both Harrisburg and York County public schools. As the former CEO of Shipley Energy, Mr. Shipley understood the importance of supporting his community. He recognized the need for the transformative power of the arts for the children of York. Mr. Shipley partnered with Mr. Flagg, an entertainment professional with over 40 years of experience in the dance industry, to create educational programs that would bring the arts into every student’s life. In its many forms, Art enriches the physical, economic, social and cultural elements of all communities.
Incorporated in 2014, Positive Energy Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, collaborates with local, national, and internationally recognized dancers, arts and education leaders, performing artists and organizations to provide unprecedented resources to educate under-served students and communities of York. Led by a dedicated Board of Directors, Positive Energy Arts is committed to providing maximum inspiration in the lives of students who would otherwise not have access due to lack of funding,
transportation, or language barriers. Every student should be a part of a learning process that encourages creative expression, self confidence, and pathways to success.
"If you can be on stage and be confident, there is just about anything you can do."
- William Shipley III, Co-Founder, Shipley Group
Our Core Values
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Dance combines the transformative power of music and movement to create a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning experience!
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Positive Energy Arts believes that dance encourages personal growth, wellness and self-expression.
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All students deserve to experience the power of the arts as a part of their curriculum.
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Positive Energy Arts promises to engage, enrich, and inspire communities to keep the arts alive and dancing.
Our DEIA STatement
Positive Energy Arts was founded on the belief that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide our work in York. We strive to create socially just teaching and learning environments as well as a Board of Directors that are reflective of York’s demographics.
Positive Energy Arts values dance as a universal language. We design programs that utilize the popularity and cultural history of hip hop and street dance forms to engage a broad, diverse audience and close the opportunity and achievement gaps that disproportionately impact quality of life for low-income students and communities of color. We promote equity, empowerment and healing through arts and learning. Utilizing social and emotional learning techniques, we address risk factors in the lives of underserved children to help increase school engagement and participation for youth in our local community.
Positive Energy Arts is committed to creating an even more just organization so that we may both uphold a healthy work environment and provide engaging, immersive, joyful arts experiences for the children and communities we serve.
OUR PROGRAMS
Through its programs, Positive Energy Arts offers extraordinary opportunities to make social and educational investments in the lives of students and communities through (but by no means limited to):
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Music, dance and language arts programs
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Summer Camps and Extracurricular Programs
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Interactive and educational discussions
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Motivational speakers
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Lecture demonstrations featuring special guests, artists, and actors
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Uniquely structured festivals featuring inspirational performances by visual and performing artists
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Live Performances
By collaborating with local, national, and internationally recognized arts and education leaders, artists and organizations, Positive Energy Arts provides unprecedented resources to educate under-served students and communities about the transformative power of the arts.
Summer Dance Camp
School Year 2022-2023
City of York School District
Located at:
Keystone Kidspace
10 Hamilton Avenue
York, PA 17403
June 20 through July 22, 2022
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Registration opens April 11, 2022