A proposal for an NIU-sponsored dance apprenticeship for DeKalb youth has again been rejected for funding by the city.

The city council voted against funding the six-week summer program when it passed the city budget two weeks ago.

The council instead chose to continue funding the human services programs that it has funded for the past four years, said Linda Wiggins, director of administrative services.

The dance program would have cost the city $4,831 of its $40 million annual budget. The council maintained its $204,000 funding level for all human services, Wiggins said.

This is the second year that the application for the dance apprenticeship, aimed to attract local at-risk teenagers, has been rejected for city funding.

NIU kinesiology and physical education professor Charles Carter has been the man behind the applications for the program. The idea and motivation came from the success of a similar program in Chicago, he said.

The apprenticeship was designed for about eight teenagers, mostly female, who would be paid to attend the program from late June to mid-August to learn the art of dancing and a solid work ethic. It would have been similar to a job, keeping young girls busy and out of trouble, Carter said.

Carter, formerly of Chicago, said he hoped the program would have been a breath of fresh air for a city that has put the arts on the back burner. DeKalb has become increasingly wrapped up in the worlds of business and sports, leaving the arts behind, he said.

Last year, when Carter put in the first application, his hopes were high. He had set up free use of facilities, chairs, costumes and a stage. All he needed was the money.

The professor presented his proposal to the council and declared the program’s purpose and goals. He said an evaluation of the program would be included at its conclusion.

This year, Carter was not given the opportunity to present his case. It was as if they already had their minds set, he said.

When notified of this year’s rejection, Carter expressed some frustration at the council’s procedures. He said it makes no sense for the council to accept applications if the council already knew that it would not increase funding and stick to the same agencies.

Carter said he wished he could have sought aid from NIU, but rules held him back.

NIU receives money every year from the National Endowment for the Arts. The only way to receive a portion of this money is to be a part of an organization.

The Campus Activities Board is the NIU organization that processes the endowment money. To receive money from CAB, one would have to be a part of an organization stem, Carter said.

“They [NIU] would keep all of the costumes and the CDs,” he said. Everything would belong to NIU.

Another alternative would have been to request grants from local businesses, but, Carter said, it would have been too much work with not enough return.

Carter said he does not plan to apply for funding next year, but he makes that decision reluctantly.

“I would hate to see DeKalb leave the arts behind,” Carter said.