Arts for adults is thriving this year in the West Virginia University Community Arts Program.

We offer classes for students of all ages in music, art, theatre and dance,said director Jeanne Frieben.But there will be more classes for adults this year than ever.

The program is registering students for fall classes at the WVU Creative Arts Center through Aug. 31.

Classes open to adults include Basket Weaving, Introductory Harp, Jazz Improvisation, Conducting, Steel Band Ensemble and Music Theory, as well as the Community Arts Orchestra and the Community Arts Honors Ensemble.

Other classes specifically for adults include Modern Dance, Ballroom Dancing, Beginning Group Piano, Friday Music Club and the new WVU Community Arts Pops Choir.

Modern Dance for Adults, a five-week class taught by WVU dance coordinator Heather Ahern, will focus on anatomically-sound approaches to warming up the body, musicality, basic dance vocabulary, self-expression and good, clean, sweaty fun!

Lets Dance Like the Stars! Ballroom Dancing for Adults, also five weeks, will be taught by Carole Wiedebusch. Dancers will enjoy learning the fox trot, cha-cha-cha, waltz and tango. Frieben said more dance styles such as samba or swing may be taught if time permits.

Not only is dancing fun, but it also provides some terrific benefits for your health,she said.

Beginning Group Piano, taught by Christine Tan, is intended for the adult beginner who wishes to play piano for pleasure. The ten-week course provides a low-pressure environment and patient instruction to help adults learn the basics of music reading, rhythm and theory. The students will learn to play familiar tunes with other students and with teacher accompaniment.

The course content is also adaptable to the needs of the students enrolled,Frieben said.

The Friday Music Club, taught by Janna Kisner, is a six-week class held at the Creative Arts Center on Fridays at 5:15 p.m., where the participants will have fun playing percussion instruments to accompany the singing of traditional songs. It all takes place in a small group setting and no previous experience is necessary.

Also, there are no assignments to practice at home. Students just come and enjoy the fun of making music with other music lovers.

The new Community Arts Pops Choir, taught by Deborah Morgan, is for students 18 and up who enjoy singing songs from musical theatre and movies or singing along with hits on the radio.

According to Morgan, students will add their voices to the group of adults wanting toSplish Splash,get to thatSomewhere Where Theres a Place for Us,Climb Every Mountain,meetMr. Sandmanand reaffirm their belief thatThere is Nothing Like a Dame!

After all, she says,All You Need is Love,especially if you live in aYellow Submarineand plan a vacation toScarborough Fair.No auditions are required, just a willingness to share a love of music.The Phantom,Dr. ZhivagoandLauraare waiting inThe Surrey with the Fringe on Top!

Also for adults, the program is offering a new series of Saturday afternoon workshops that will feature topics such as Conditioning Tips from the Dance World (for dancers and non-dancers), taught by Ahern; Michelangelos David: The Most Remarkable Story Behind an Exceedingly Remarkable Sculpture, by art history professor and dean Bernie Schultz; The Contemplative Power of Music by Music Professor David Bess; and The Arts as a Profession, a panel discussion facilitated by art professor Alison Helm, associate professor of music Keith Jackson and Ahern.

In addition, Alexander Technique (performance enhancement) workshops, taught by certified instructor Lisa Levinson, will include Introduction to Alexander Technique, Alexander Technique and Breathing and Alexander Technique and Ergonomics.

And of course we continue to offer private music lessons in piano, organ, voice, jazz singing, brass, percussion, woodwind, strings, Suzuki violin, harp, guitar, theory and composition, jazz improvisation and conducting,Frieben said.Many adults in the local community sign up for these classes. Our staff is made up of highly-qualified instructors which include WVU college faculty, outstanding community teachers, and graduate and undergraduate students.

It is always thrilling to see adults take advantage of our classes. They make the best students because they are so enthusiastic and hard working and gain so much satisfaction from their achievements,she noted.I am also very excited about several new classes for adults that are currently in the works for our spring session too.

WVU Community Arts Program office hours are 10 a.m.noon and 1- 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, in Room 401A of the Creative Arts Center.

The office will be closed Sept. 3 to observe the Labor Day holiday.

Students may register for classes after the official registration period ends, but a late fee will be in effect at that time.

For more information, call 304-293-4841, ext. 3168 or visithttp://www.ccarts.wvu.edu/community_arts/.