As part of the Santa Barbara Bowl’s Outreach initiative focused on performing arts, and coordinated by the Children’s Creative Project, nearly 3,000 local public school students were treated to two free educational performances April 8 at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

The event, called Kids at the Bowl, featured The Alley Cats, an a cappella doo-wop group from Los Angeles, performing with the UCSB Dance Company.

The Alley Cats work to engage student audiences with familiar ideas to ensure the music is appealing and accessible to all ages. At the same time, the group tries to keep the songs and performances as true to their original form as they can.

For Kids at the Bowl, The Alley Cats offered their signature doo-wop, blended with comedy, showmanship, and dance to help students learn about harmony, pitch and tempo, and to experience a live performance in a locally renowned setting.

The UCSB Dance Company, a 14-member student dance troupe under the direction of Delila Moseley, joined The Alley Cats on stage for six dances choreographed by Moseley.

The show incorporated swing, Lindy hop, salsa, (set by student Yuna Choi), twist, smooth ballroom, and modern dance into high-energy dance numbers.

“These special performances are the result of wonderful collaborations between organizations dedicated to providing diverse art and cultural opportunities for children and families,” said Susan Salcido, Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools.

“We are grateful for the commitment of the Bowl Foundation, The Towbes Foundation, the city of Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture to increase access to art and culture and make this extraordinary opportunity available to so many of our students,” she said.

A program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Children’s Creative Project presents visual arts and performing arts instruction by resident artists and touring artist performances in 92 schools serving 50,000 students in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties each year.

The Children’s Creative Project also presents the annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival to support, in part, their arts education programs.

Kids at the Bowl is an essential program of Santa Barbara Bowl Outreach that hosts large-scale, cultural performances for Santa Barbara County students.

Benefits extend beyond the performance to teach educate students how to be a part of an audience; provide a cultural experience at a historic, community landmark; and create an opportunity to imagine careers in the arts.

For more about the Santa Barbara Bowl, visit www.sbbowl.com.

— Eric Shiflett for Santa Barbara Bowl.