Educational
Programs
"Be
Proud of Yourself "
"Building
Stronger Communities Through
Arts Education"
The Hispanic culture represents North
America's largest and fastest growing ethnic group. The Latin Ballet seeks to
expose students of all backgrounds to this rich cultural and artistic heritage,
in a format that is designed to build self-confidence though physical and mental
challenges. Simultaneously, the Latin Ballet's educational programs strive to
help students new to the United States move comfortably into their new setting
by improving their language and communication skills.
Be Proud of Yourself demonstrates the
importance of including the arts in the public school curriculum. A 1998 study
conducted by The Arts Education Partnership and The President's Committee on the
Arts and the Humanities called Champions of Change, has proven the "arts have
shown links to student motivation and engagement in school, attitudes that
contribute to academic achievement." Results from the study confirm that
children involved in the arts are simply doing better in school. It also
found that the arts create a link between children and their community.
Most importantly, dance embraces life.
Be Proud of Yourself is tailored to the
specific needs of the school, program or students with which it is associated.
In most cases the Be Proud of Yourself residency culminates in a
performance in which the students showcase what they have learned for the entire
school and a general audience. This component impacts both the students and the
community as it creates an environment of sharing culture with the community and
imparting the knowledge obtained to a larger audience. Each element of the Be
Proud of Yourself program is described in detail below:
Spanish Through Dance
concentrates on the practical use of Spanish in relationship to the body,
to movement and to music. The way the names of certain steps or dances such as
cha cha cha actually sound like they look or how the dances are
reflective of the nuances of the language itself will be emphasized. Classes
will be focused towards Spanish colonization of South America and its affect on
music and dance - how the blending of cultures has not only shaped the
performing arts but, has given birth to new forms of expression. Examples of
activities:
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Students earn to
pronounce words, sing songs, learn traditional and social Latin American and
Caribbean dances, therefore connecting dance to language, culture and history.
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Teachers create
a thematic lesson for the class based on the sessions from the Latin Ballet.
Dance as Therapy
program introduces children with a variety of special needs to the joy of
movement and the cultures of Spain and Latin America. The groups served by this
program may include children facing physical challenges such as Cerebral Palsy
or Rhett’s Syndrome, or cognitive/emotional challenges including Autism,
ADD/ADHD, learning delays, or Mental Retardation. Often, children facing these
challenges experience low self-esteem and self-worth. The Dance as
Therapy program develops imagination, memory, social skills, positive
body image, and problem solving while building confidence and promoting self-
respect through artistic expression. Example of activities:
-
Students are
exposed to live drumming and dances of Caribbean and Latin music, which will
encourage students to feel rhythms and understand basic dance movements and
directions. Rhythm provides bio-feedback helping the child experience
increased sensory organization, attention, and focus.
English as a Second Language through Dance
(ESL) program eases the transition for students
who have immigrated to the United States and are not necessarily proficient in
English or comfortable in their new surroundings. Students connect dance to
language, culture and history, while improving their ability to understand and
appreciate their new environment and move comfortably into their educational
setting as a whole. Examples of activities:
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Students research the history and
countries of the dances studied. The result then be developed into lessons by
teachers. This hands-on involvement by the students enhances their
understanding of the English language through vocabulary development, writing
exercises and reading assignments.
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Students learn to pronounce words, sing
songs, perform traditional and social American dances, such as swing, hip hop
and modern dance and Latin American and Caribbean dances, such as Salsa,
Merengue, and Capoeira.
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Students use computers to research the
dances and their countries of origin, to compose documents, to store
information and to prepare presentations.
EveryBody Reads!
program is designed to supplement all of the above programs.
Through music and movements, relationships are made to language and
vocalizations, which reinforce pre-literacy and literacy skills. Examples of
activities:
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Students learn La Piñata, a party dance
that is done at a Latin American birthday celebration. The dance includes
clapping rhythms, chanting, and repetition of sounds and alliterations which
accompany specific movements.
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Students are invited to pantomime
stories when read aloud by an instructor or another student.
Arts Education
Summer Day Camp: As a continuation of
the Be Proud of Yourself program at the schools the Latin Ballet has created the
intensive BPY Arts Education Summer Day Camp at the
Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, to provide the opportunity for children who
participated during the school year to be able to continue their development in
arts-education. This program is open to anyone ages 5 to 13 but the Latin Ballet
of Virginia also offers scholarships for children with special and financial
needs. The camp, which is three sessions of two weeks each, includes classes
such as drums and percussion, arts and crafts, dance history, storytelling,
dance-theater, Latin ballet, Spanish language through dance, Hip Hop, Latin and
Spanish dances such as salsa, merengue and flamenco. The final performance of
each session is based on the interpretation and studies of authentic Latin
American legends. The Latin Ballet’s Educational Program Director collaborates
with the instructors to make sure that the curriculum for the camp complies with
the Virginia Standards of Learning for the Arts (S.O.L.’s).
Specific
expected returns of Be Proud of Yourself
as follows:
ESL,
Spanish Through Dance, and Arts Education Day Camps:
- The students’ physical
capabilities and self-assurance, and sense of pride increase notably
- Students gain a better
comprehension of the English/Spanish language.
- The students’ academic
competence, multi-cultural awareness, and complete educational experience are
notably enhanced once a long term residency (10 weeks) is completed.
- Students gain an awareness of
Latin American history, roots and culture since the latest census findings
report the Hispanic population is the largest growing ethnic group in the USA.
Dance
as Therapy:
- Students
improve their imagination, memory, social skills, positive body image, and
problem solving while building confidence and promoting self- respect through
artistic expression.
-
Participants increase their sensory organization, attention, and focus,
through music and movements, relationships that are made to language and
vocalizations.
Organizational Capacity
The Be Proud of
Yourself project relates to our mission by preserving and promoting the Latin
American and Spanish cultures through educational programs as well as teaching
to diverse audiences. It is one of the most important methods for the
organization to reach our mission. It enhances curriculum and is tailored to
various learning styles. The Be Proud of Yourself program is built to be
further sustained and developed even after the Latin Ballet instructors have
completed the residency. The key staff includes Artistic Director, Ana Ines
King; Educational Programs Director, Tara Z. Mullins; Teaching Artists and
performers – William Sterling Walker, Lawanda Raines and Monte Jones; and Dance
Therapist, Sarah Pack. All of the staff has either Master or Bachelor Degrees
in Dance or equivalent professional experience. Ms. King has received numerous
awards for her teaching and choreography including the
Jane Baskerville Award for the best community
education program for World Languages in Chesterfield County and the 2002
Hispanic Woman of the Year for services to the community, by AT&T
Broadband, Virginia & CNN en Español. Tara Z. Mullins received The 2003
ARTSWork Award for Arts Education Research, and was invited to present
research to the National Dance Education Organization Annual Conference.
Ms. Mullins also served on the committee that wrote the Virginia State
Standards of Learning for Dance, which were approved and implemented by the
state government. Finally, the company will be featured in an upcoming issue of
Southern Living Magazine as well as a national PBS special.
Evaluation
The Latin Ballet of
Virginia residency program is evaluated through the following:
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By
gathering video data and participant response data. Video recordings are made
in the first week of sessions and in the last week of sessions. Content
analysis of video measures participants’ emotional and physical participation,
understanding of the English language, pronunciation, and overall confidence.
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School
system staff, parents, audience and participants aged 10 and older complete a
brief survey inviting them to respond on aspects of the program including:
likes, dislikes, relationship with Latin Ballet of Virginia artists, and most
importantly, personal growth.
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Students’
academic achievement is evaluated by classroom teachers and Latin Ballet of
Virginia artists for increased understanding of the material.
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The
final performance is used as an opportunity for students to share their newly
acquired dance skills, improved comprehension of the English language and
overall confidence with their families and community. We have an evaluation
committee who analyzes video clips, survey responses, and teacher and artist
evaluations of student progress Latin Ballet of Virginia and evaluates the
success of the Be Proud of Yourself Program. These evaluations are presented
to the teaching artists in order to improve future programs. Documentation of
lesson plans, resource lists, videotapes and photographs are available for
future use and evaluation by the instructors and interested educators,
schools, artists and art organizations. Sponsors and supporters are invited
to observe workshops and presentations and they receive final evaluation
reports.
Partners
The Latin Ballet has collaborated with
many organizations since 2000. Presently, the company continues to collaborate
with Ban Caribe Ensemble, the resident musicians for the Latin Ballet of
Virginia. Ban Caribe plays for many of our productions and accompanies us on
tour and in the classroom with our BPY program. The Cultural Arts Center
at Glen Allen is the home of the Latin Ballet. We collaborated with them on
festivals and galas as well as hold our classes and productions in their
facilities. We have a strong partnership with Henrico, Hanover, Richmond,
Hopewell and Chesterfield County Schools and return each year to many of the
schools to implement the BPY program. We also implement the BPY
program in other schools such as the Dooley School and Flagler Home of St.
Joseph’s Villa and Richmond HeadStart. Finally, we collaborate with such
colleges as Virginia Commonwealth University, J. Sergeant Reynolds Community
College, John Tyler Community College, Longwood University and Radford
University.
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