Young Artists Bring Motown to Dallas

Show is culmination of three-week program that teaches acting, dancing and production

Hundreds of North Texas students are putting on a big show this weekend.

Participants of the Summer Youth Arts Institute at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas will perform their annual musical Friday and Saturday.

When the program started 29 years ago, only 60 students were participated. This year, 542 students are enrolled, many from the Dallas school district.

"I would like to be on Broadway and be triple threat," 12-year-old Terrance Dean Jr. said.

The three-week program teaches acting, dancing and production, among other skills.

"They just want the feeling where you're treated like an artist, like a young professional," Dean said.

This year's institute culminates with "Motown Motown: The Musical," which features hits from legends such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Jackson 5.

"This show is a show that demonstrates the depth and the breadth from the talent from so many incredible young people," said Curtis King, show director and Black Academy of Arts and Letters founder and president. "They are absolutely amazing."

The show is so popular that Friday night's performance show is sold out.

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