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Delaware Art Museum Presents Moving & Passing Connecting the Arts to the Beautiful Game of Soccer Wilmington - based Future Soccer Stars Foundation (FSS), powered by the financial support of the Buccini/Pollin Group (Buccini/Pollin) and the Philadelphia Union, announce the celebration of its FSS “City on the Pitch” Annual Playday. This will be the third time this event has been held at the University of Delaware. The one-¬day event will kick-off 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at the Delaware Stadium. The PlayDay was created to celebrate and bring together all of FSS’ free soccer programs hosted (and to be hosted) throughout the city of Wilmington. Last year’s event recap can be seen here. This year, nearly 300 children aged 8-16 are expected -- more than quadrupling last year’s PlayDay. Steve Cavalier, Executive Director at FSS, says, “I’m not surprised at the rapid growth of our program. We’ve worked hard to provide kids a solution to the pay-to-play environment in soccer, one that not only provides free access but other positive and enriching experiences and lessons. Through deep partnerships in our community, FSS’ success is everyone’s success. And through a new field we’re building as our home, the citywide youth soccer league will amplify this success.” Chris Buccini, a Co-President at Buccini/Pollin adds, “As part of our ongoing devotion to present more opportunities to youth in the Wilmington, we are proud to be a leading sponsor for this spectacular annual event. Our goal for our 25th anniversary celebration this year is to continue delivering and supporting educational activities such as this to help build a better future for those in our hometown.” This year, through an opportunity sponsored by the Delaware Art Museum, the PlayDay will include Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s Moving & Passing. The outreach program was first commissioned in April of 2016 by the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and will include music, art-making, food, and dance performances. The Moving & Passing program also serves as a prelude to Mr. Joseph’s multimedia spoken word and dance performance /peh¬LO¬tah/, which will be presented by the Delaware Art Museum on Friday, June 15 at 8 p.m. (Grand Opera House). From the Sozo Artists (an international creative arts agency) webpage: [It is] “a community engagement experience that brings together athletic skill, critical thinking, and visioning success through art. Through merging the universal languages of music, dance and soccer, Moving & Passing reveals the accessible, intrinsic, and joyful connections between the arts and sport.” When we think of soccer as “the beautiful game,” it’s easy to see the connective thread founded in artistic expression through dance and culture and its ties to humanity. Moving & Passing is an organic work; Marc asks us “to consider movement patterns on the field as kin to migratory patterns across social and political borders.” In attendance and available for interview: - Marc Bamuthi Joseph, spoken¬word poet, dancer, and playwright - Sam Sweet, Executive Director and CEO of the Delaware Art Museum - Steve Cavalier, Executive Director, Future Soccer Stars Foundation - Ian Hennessy, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at the University of Delaware, Scout for US Soccer for youth national teams, the Director of Coaching for Kirkwood Soccer Club, and Technical Director for Delaware Football Club - Mark McKenzie, Philadelphia Union, FSS Ambassador - Rob Buccini, Chris Buccini, Co-Presidents, The Buccini/Pollin Group