Case Study by: CMC Teaching Artist, Andrea Rodriguez
INTRO
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, SF Community Music Center in partnership with Jamestown Community Center launched several Arts Immersive Community Learning Hubs as part of an initiative spearheaded by the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) and generously supported by a few private foundations. The “CMC ART HUB," located at Community Music Center, offered distance learning and daily in-person classes in music, dance, and creative arts instruction for up to 10 English Language Learners from 3rd-5th grade in the S.F. Mission District. Students were enrolled through DCYF’s efforts to reach the most vulnerable youth, who were additionally referred by their SFUSD teachers to be a part of the hub. This was the first time many participants were immersed in the arts and received daily instruction from professional Teaching Artists. The 8-week pilot program was a success and expanded from October 2020-June 2021. Of the 78 hubs established in San Francisco by the Department of Children and Family Services the “CMC ART HUB” was one of a small cluster of art hubs that provided music, dance, and creative arts programming in the city.
Community Music Center and Jamestown Community Center wish to thank the generous supporters of the CMC Art Hub: William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and Department of Children Youth and Families.
Fall 2020
The post-traumatic stress of distance learning weighed heavily on students when they arrived at “the hub.” COVID protocols were enforced with frequent temperature checks, consistent hand washing, sanitizer use, along with 6 ft of distance between each student. This became our norm. Students were provided breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day. I facilitated brain break sessions between morning classes, a dance class after lunch, and a creative art making class in the mid afternoon. My goal was to empower my students with tools to discover and embrace their own unique artistry. In this case study, I share my highlights, reflections, observations, and creative process regarding teaching Dance and Creative Arts. Here is the journey we went on…
In the beginning, motivating students to dance was a daily challenge. One afternoon during my first dance class, students were defiant and refused to move. I played an upbeat “Agua” Reggaeton song by J. Balvin and imitated students’ gestures with some movement stylization. This made students chuckle and lured them to move on the dance floor. One by one, I called out their names, each contributing dynamic movement to the dance sequence. Thus our "Agua" choreography was born! This method of choreography building encouraged collaboration and allowed students autonomy to create their own signature moves in class. Below is a clip of the class practicing "Agua" for a student showcase.
Highlight #1
The fall class theme was for students to discover and identify their “Super S/Hero” powers. We focused on character-building exercises and a collage-making technique to design life-size super s/heroes posters. Students enjoyed painting and mixing different artistic mediums to construct their posters.
Highlight #2
Early morning distance-learning classes were three hours long. In between classes, students came to me for "brain breaks," short mental exercises for students to reset. I created fun physical activities for students to move their bodies and burn energy in short spurts. The class loved to play the popular multiplayer online game “Among Us,” a game about teamwork and betrayal. From my previous line of work as a Video Game Producer & Designer, I facilitated a workshop for the class to develop a physical version of the game with dance and rhythm game challenges we learned in my classes. To avoid web surfing and fatigue, the brain breaks helped students to think outside the screen and work together as a collective.
Reflection
The fall quarter had many growing pains. Covid restrictions took some adjustments for staff, teaching artists, and students to coalesce in this new learning environment. To get to know the class, I developed a questionnaire to learn students' favorite games, books, musical artists, etc. The questionnaire gave me insight into the world of my students and helped me create lesson plans. I also connected with my students through our afternoon arts and craft classes. I taught students how to bead and crochet colorful plastic lanyards. Beading was especially a great way to connect with students on an interpersonal level. Additionally, my students took pride in helping me brush up on my conversational Spanish and sharing stories with me. When afternoon classes were over, students often took their art projects back to their desk and listened to their lectures. There are many styles of learning, and I discovered for my kinesthetic learners that for distance-learning classes, having tactile objects in their hands eased their anxiety and kept them focused.
Observation
By the end of the fall quarter, students had transformed from shy individuals to hopeful and brave dancers, musicians, and artists. In 8 weeks the class learned three different dance genres from the Afro-Latin Diaspora, including Cumbia, Reggaeton, and Hip-Hop. For many students this was the first time they had ever performed on a stage. See the link below for our 2020 Fall/Winter Culmination.
Winter 2021
Winter quarter was an opportunity for the class to learn the creative process of developing, choreographing, and performing a new piece, as well as creating costumes. Our theme was the “4 Elements of Nature.” Using contemporary dance, I applied SEL concepts (social emotional learning) to my lesson plans for the class to delve deeper into self awareness and expression from a social and emotional physical lens. The exercises focused on facial (eyes), hand, and bodily gestures. During this time, I also introduced yoga, or as my students called it “stretching.” For our stretch/meditation classes, I chose bilingual Spanish words that described nature and animals for students to connect imagery with their bodies. I played instrumental soundscapes to immerse students in the zone of natural environments including: rainforest, beaches, deserts, and mountains. The stretch and meditation classes became an important module in my lesson plans that helped improve students’ behavior and boost concentration for afternoon classes.
Highlight #1
Since classes were taught outside in the CMC courtyard, I opted for a traditional performance onstage for our winter culmination. The goal was to create a site-specific work in the courtyard using a 360 video camera for our theme “4 Elements of Nature.” The class assignment was for students to connect colors, sounds, symbols, and movement/dance quality to their assigned element of fire, earth, air, and water. To tie in popular culture with the dance theme, students’ researched the cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” We did a movement study and looked closely at the characters and plot to build from our theme. To connect elements of the earth with cultural folkloric deities and symbols, we drew inspiration from the “Divine Coloring Book," by Christine Joy Amagan Ferre. The coloring book pays homage to deities from the Haitian, Brazilian, and Philippine pantheon. This assignment was also an extension from the previous quarter super s/hero theme. The class connected the cultural attributes with the divine energy forces and the elements of nature. We then constructed costume accessories made out of foam board, glue, jewels, and paint. Lastly, I had students watch a short film I directed and choreographed titled “Mujer Maiz,” a coming-of-age story about a young girl who is afraid to dance, but when she is visited by goddesses of the four winds, they initiate her to become a dancer. In the short film, I connect Aztec/Nahuatl philosophy with the hip hop street dance style known as "Poppin." Students were thrilled to watch my short film, and it also gave them insight into my creative process for developing new work.
To few the 360 video, click the link below and view on YouTube. If viewing on a computer screen use your mouse to scroll up, down and side to side. If viewing on a phone, please pan side to side or tilt up and down.
Highlight #2
By the end of winter quarter, students developed the endurance, flexibility, and dance technique to learn five dance genres: Cumbia, Salsa, Hip Hop, Reggaeton, and Modern/Contemporary dance. To keep classes fun and exciting, I developed a DANCE DICE game with my students that integrated math and gamified concepts using dice as “manipulatives,” objects to assist with the perception of learning mathematical equations. To play the game we used 5-10 dice with one selected dice as the "chance dice" that could add or subtract from our dance library of over 85+ different dance moves and styles. We co-created a library of movement and put our own labels on specific dance steps. The "chance dice" determined how many times a move could be repeated. This dance game encouraged participation and cooperation for students to create fun coordinated sequences and dance drills. The integration of math and dance motivated students to learn a core subject through dance. Below is a clip of the DANCE DICE game in action!
Reflection
didn’t think dance would change my behavior!
Journal writing was an important component in the stretch and meditation classes. This was a gentle way for students to process their feelings and reflect on current events. One student on a behavioral chart for misconduct, confided in me after his journal reflection that he “didn’t think dance would change my [his] behavior!” It was these little nuggets of joy that encouraged me to persevere as a Teaching Artist during the pandemic; to witness my students indeed transform into empathetic and mindful leaders.
Observation
HEART CHART
break a rule, break a heart!
To keep the class motivated, I developed a reward system called a “Heart Chart” to support my students with positive reinforcement for good behavior and encourage participation in my classes. If students “Break a rule, Break a heart!” The four values we established were as follows: be kind, work hard, participate, be respectful (se amable, trabaja duro, participa, ser respetuoso). Students received hearts for completing activities and following the rules in my classes. Hearts would add up to rewards which included: stickers, healthy snacks, fidget toys, extra time for soccer, etc.
Many of my students are from Mexico and Central America and huge soccer fans. Soccer was essential at the CMC Art Hub and was a great way for students to burn off steam and enjoy time for play.
Spring 2021
The Heart Chart kept my students focused and engaged. We built up a great repertoire of dance and creative arts classes. During an hour class we accomplished the following: warm up, dance review, dance technique, new choreo, stretch/meditation, and journal writing. We had come a long way from our first classes. I was truly proud of their dedication and witnessed students become confident dancers on and off the dance floor! By the end of April, SFUSD allowed for in-person learning on certain days of the week. Although I had less time to meet with my students, I focused solely on salsa pareja (partner salsa social dancing), clay making, and an end-of-the-year dance jam!
Highlight #1
Since students mastered the basic salsa steps (paso basic) and shines/footwork patterns in the winter, teaching salsa pareja (partner) was a breeze. In class we took extra sanitary precautions to be safe. I developed a curriculum around team building to teach students how to be mindful dance “leaders and followers” on the dance floor and with one another in class. My students discovered their flow in social partner dance and built trust amongst their peers.
Highlight #2
The creative arts classes were an additional component to the curriculum I brought to the CMC Art Hub. For my students less inclined to dance, they relished other artistic mediums. When I introduced clay molding in our art class, students loved the hands-on art experience. They would go online to find a character they admired and mold the character into a clay figurine. The hands-on art classes, such as clay molding, braiding lanyards, and beading helped my students develop their fine motor skills, learn patience, solve problems, and build neural connections.
Reflection
A student who opted out of dance for the creative art classes, chose to do an independent study with me to playtest VR dance and rhythm games for the Oculus Quest 2 headset. Playing in VR was the only way I could get him to move! Since this student enjoyed molding clay, the second part of his assignment was to also write a script and create a VR world for his clay figurines. To flush out the story I assigned a scene scenario and he improvised the dialogue and used instrumental sound scores from various motion picture and video game soundtracks. This tactic helped my student develop the arc of the story and write a script. I cherished this time to mentor my student and introduce dance in other art forms and technology.
Observation
During late April, SFUSD opened up schools for in-person learning a few days a week. The CMC Art Hub quickly pivoted to an after school-program. When my students went back to school, I sensed a new-found confidence they each had when they would arrive at the hub! The staff and teaching artists worked hard to create a safe learning environment and artistic space for our students throughout the year. It paid off and our students managed to get good grades and smoothly transition to in-person learning at school. The CMC Art Hub was a place for students to learn and overcome the hurdles they each faced at home and with distance learning during the plight of the pandemic.
My goal as a Teaching Artist was to nurture students’ creative voices and guide them to become empathetic leaders. With daily art instruction, I instilled a solid foundation for the class to become expressive dancers, thoughtful writers /poets, exceptional craft artisans, and innovative filmmakers. It was a joy and a privilege to teach art every day. I witnessed the students’ curiosity expand and their artistry elevate. Arts education was therapeutic and essential to the students’ mental health. Dance and creative arts provided wellness and balance in a post-pandemic world. At the end of the program, I awarded each of my students with a badge and certificate of completion in the Dance and Creative (he)ARTs Program! We all learned and grew at "the hub" from this life-changing experience.
About:
Andrea ‘budafly’ Rodriguez was born and raised in the San Francisco Mission District. She is a dancer, performer, and digital media artist. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), World Arts and Cultures/Dance Department, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Her international training and many performances include residencies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Senegal, Mexico, and Hawaii. Blending her love of dance and fitness with technology, Andrea is a Video Game Producer for the Zumba Fitness Video Game Franchise, which sold over 9 million units worldwide. She danced professionally with Viver Brasil for the Viva Navidad Parade at Disney California Adventures Theme Park. She is a recipient of an Actors Fund grant, and an Individual Artist Grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission 2020-2021. Her next creative work, “La Rumba No Para,” is a VR salsa love story about growing up and dancing in the Mission District. Whether it’s producing games, teaching dance and fitness classes, or making VR films, her mission is to inspire audiences to get up on their feet and dance!
Credits:
Andrea Rodriguez, BUDAFLY MEDIA