West Side YMCA focuses on developing healthy bodies, minds, and spirits through various learning activities and arts programs. They provide opportunities for self-expression, arts education, and professional performing arts training, while also teaching life skills and fostering creativity.
Upcoming Classes at
West Side YMCA - Community Arts
Showing 19 upcoming dates for classes at West Side YMCA - Community Arts
We develop bodies and voices through participation in arts programs that build and strengthen community.
We teach self-expression through writing, visual art, creative drama, movement, dance, and theatre.
Healthy Minds
We support arts education and literacy efforts, providing opportunities through the development of innovative partnerships, programming, and theater resource services. We explore ideas and culture.
We involve young people in the entire creative and technical process and development of productions.
We empower maximize the potential of our youth by providing professional performing arts training, workshops, connections, and performance opportunities.
Healthy Spirits
We develop confidence, imagination, a sense of self, teamwork, discipline, integrity, and other life skills through the teaching of stage skills.
We provide a safe place to be passionate an creative, and inspire a desire for learning.
We use the arts as a dynamic and progressive tool to teach effective ways to listen and communicate.
We provide a creative forum for young people to express their concerns and ideas.
Reviews of West Side YMCA - Community Arts
(4.7-star rating across
30 reviews)
Writing for Stage and Screen
Reviewed by Rita W. on 2/11/2020
I couldn't have taken a better workshop with a better group of writers. Trying a new genre or anything new comes with challenges. (That's my case!) Our leader and the group of writers with varying interests and levels of professionalism are insightful, encouraging and a lot of fun! The exercises and takeaways will serve me in other forms of writing. I prefer the insider tips and guidance to the academic approach. If you learn by doing, this is for you. These few weeks went by too quickly. I'm signing up again!
Memoir Splash!
Reviewed by Ruth Ferris on 8/29/2018
Excellent feedback from class instructor and fellow attendees (Mindy Lewis maintains good class structure and an encouraging environment for all participants. It's apparent from her notes and comments that she takes time to evaluate student submissions.)
Good and thoughtful reading recommendations for further development
Supportive class environment
Small class size for individualized attention
Class targeted at the right level
Scheduled time convenient
Telling Great Stories
Reviewed by Erik on 8/29/2018
I have taken part in a number of workshops over the years. In the capable hands of Thad Rutkowski, this one ranked among the very best. We had a half dozen writers of various skill levels, styles, and interests. Despite our differences, with guidance from Thad, we worked together beautifully as a team in improving our story-telling. Over the course of the class, the improvement in the quality of our work became something for all of us to marvel at and take pride in. In a fairly short time, we formed an effective team feeding off each other's comments. I found the experience highly productive as well as fun.
Memoir Splash!
Reviewed by Barbara Felton on 8/27/2018
Mindy was knowledgeable about the craft of writing and, at the same time, responsive to the needs and wishes of the class. She provided extensive feedback to each student and led the class in high-level discussion of writing. This was a wonderful course!
Telling Great Stories
Reviewed by Paul Zeigler on 8/27/2018
Thad Rutkowski, a talented writer and teacher, offers insight, inspiration, and encouragement. He, and fellow classmates, gave me the courage and confidence to believe in myself and write.
Memoir Splash!
Anonymous review on 8/24/2018
I loved the small group atmosphere of the class. Mindy Lewis is a gifted teacher and had insightful teaching moments that allowed me to expand my writing in a more meaningful way.
Telling Great Stories
Reviewed by Daniel Dworkin on 8/23/2018
This class really helped me develop as a writer. The structure of the workshop encourages people to write small works, or take steps at completing longer work. I can see a significant difference between my writing quality from my first session and now. The participants are great to work with, and Thad really helped guide me to better performance than I thought possible. I would say this class is worth the investment, even if you don't have a novel in mind to write, you may find the inspiration for one out of the many prompts. I don't even live in NYC, and it's still worth the trip from upstate NY to attend.
Telling Great Stories
Reviewed by Art Lasky on 8/23/2018
Thad creates a warm, supportive, and inclusive environment for both beginners and experienced writers. He encourages participation and provides constructive feedback. His policy on how much of their own (non-class assignment) work each writer is allowed to submit is liberal. I believe everyone in his class comes away a better writer for it.
Filling the Well
Reviewed by Meghan K. on 6/20/2018
Beth gives a number of options as your prompts for each class, and then an additional fun activity is assigned as part of an effort to get you to think creatively and expose yourself to new ideas. Beth is a kind, thoughtful teacher who has very insightful critiques and suggestions on what direction you should go in and how you can strengthen each piece. This was my second time taking this course and I've already signed up for it again!
Filling the Well
Reviewed by Meghan K. on 4/18/2018
This is the second class of Beth's that I've taken at the YMCA and I really enjoyed it. Each class, each student reads their 300-word work aloud, based on the prompt assigned the last week. This format allows for students to experiment with one-off pieces or continue working on longer works throughout the course. Beth's critiques are thoughtful and helpful.
I would absolutely take this class again, and I suggest you do too!
Shaping the Stories in Our Lives
Reviewed by Anca P. on 4/11/2018
I liked very much this class, starting with the teacher and the structure, down to my classmates. Very stimulating and productive. Special thanks to Mindy Lewis, the teacher, for her inspired way of leading the class, her professionalism and commitment. All in all— wonderful experience.
Going Deeper: Fiction Workshop
Reviewed by Meghan on 3/7/2018
This course was largely focused on critiquing your work and the work of the other students. Beth Ann Bauman was a really supportive, thoughtful teacher who gave insightful comments and helpful suggestions on how to improve your work and keep moving forward. I appreciated her help so much that I've now signed up for another one of her writing classes!
Intro to Fiction
Reviewed by Alex C. on 12/9/2017
I had (and continue to have) a great experience in this class. I'd done a fiction workshop through Gotham 5 years earlier, and found the WestSide Y's program to be much more intimate and engaging. I've now taken a second course with Beth Bauman, and have really enjoyed her style of running the workshop. She introduces the craft fundamentals of writing fiction through a combination of great short stories we read and analyze, compelling group discussions and fun writing exercises. And of course, the workshop portion of the class has been a great experience as well.
My goals for getting into this were (a) to re-ignite my drive to write consistently (b) to gain a more thorough understanding of the craft itself and (c) just to be in a room with other writers. I absolutely got all of these things from the class and would recommend this course to anyone looking to start, to get back into, to sharpen their tools and to get inspired.
Students have positive things to say about the classes at West Side YMCA - Community Arts. They mention that the classes are insightful, encouraging, and a lot of fun. The instructors, such as Mindy Lewis and Thad Rutkowski, provide excellent feedback and create a supportive environment for all participants. Students appreciate the small class size and individualized attention that allows them to improve their writing skills. They also mention that the classes are targeted at the right level and offer convenient scheduling. Overall, students feel that they have learned a lot from the classes and have seen improvement in their writing quality.
Quotes:
- "This workshop ranked among the best. We worked together as a team in improving our story-telling."
- "Mindy was knowledgeable about the craft of writing and provided extensive feedback to each student. This was a wonderful course!"
- "This class really helped me develop as a writer. The participants are great to work with, and Thad really helped guide me to better performance than I thought possible."
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