ART. HOPE. HEALING.
Art is a powerful tool that can be used when exploring difficult subject matter in the classroom, representing the human condition and the world in ways that are nuanced and deeply impactful. As a universal language, art can express stories of joy, sadness, courage, and fear, helping students understand the human experience in profound ways.
Louisville Ballet and the UK-JHF Holocaust Education Initiative have partnered to create the A Time Remembered Study Guide to help middle and high school educators integrate Holocaust curriculum in their classroom through an interdisciplinary approach. This in-depth, online guide uses excerpts from Louisville Ballet’s performance of Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project along with accompanying lesson plans and arts integration activities to examine the tragedy of the Holocaust.
Education is key in combating all forms of bigotry and hate. As antisemitism and Holocaust denial rise globally, the arts offer students a path to empathy and understanding in ways a textbook alone cannot. Through the arts, we can remember our past, and heal our future.
Lesson plans in this guide address multiple content areas for middle and high school students, including Reading and Writing, Social Studies and the Visual and Performing Arts as it relates to the Kentucky Academic Content Standards.
Louisville Ballet is honored to share this FREE resource with educators.
Illuminated through the powerful story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren (1920-2016), Light / The Holocaust and Humanity Project takes the audience on a journey that shares Naomi’s story while making relevant connections to the present, told through the lens of dance. This full-length contemporary dance work follows Naomi’s path from a beautiful family with a rich culture and traditions to utter dehumanization — and along the way, we feel Naomi’s courage, resilience, and hope.
Choreographed and designed by Stephen Mills, Light has been a project of his for the past 20 years. The production has toured both nationally and internationally, featuring both the 84-minute dance and community-wide discussions focused on the protection of human rights against bigotry and hate. The music is composed of works by a number of notable contemporary writers. The décor and dress is of today, and spare. The story of “never again” is a warning of which we must always be mindful and diligent concerning the protection of human rights against bigotry and hatred.
Originally set and performed by Ballet Austin, several ballet companies have performed this piece of work since Stephen Mills first created it in 2005. In February of 2025, Louisville Ballet was honored to work with Stephen and his team from Ballet Austin to perform Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project inside Whitney Hall at The Kentucky Center. The imagery and performance excerpts used in the lessons in this guide feature company artists of Louisville Ballet.
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR SUPPORTING ARTS EDUCATION:
Production Sponsors
Jewish Heritage Fund + The Auerbach Family
Documentary Sponsor
William and Susan Yarmuth
Education Sponsor
Louis and Lee Roth Family
This project was made possible by a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts.
