Kids at Costa Mesa Shalimar center learn more than moves in ‘Dancing for Difference’
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For a group of Costa Mesa youngsters on summer break from school, a dance lesson Thursday at the Shalimar Learning Center was an opportunity to move, play and listen to some tunes.
But if you were to ask instructor Ava Biagiotti, a Mater Dei High School sophomore and competitive dancer, what the day was about she’d confess there was more behind the jumps, leg kicks and spins — a lot more.
In “Dancing for Difference,” a free, two-day workshop at the small neighborhood center on the city’s west side, Biagiotti guided a contingent of youth through a series of dance moves and exercises designed not only to build strength, but also confidence and self-expression.
Using the tagline, “Where rhythm meets radical acceptance,” the 16-year-old Newport Beach resident developed the curriculum to help students feel more comfortable about identifying different moods and emotions and sharing them with others.
The lessons are born from Biagiotti’s own experience as a competitive dancer who sometimes found herself in scenarios that made little room for dancers’ personal experiences.
“The dance environment has been very high pressure and, I feel, has lacked inclusivity. I wanted to make a change to that stigma,” she said of the impetus for the lessons. “I wanted to start this so kids could express themselves and almost find their confidence through dance, because dance is a great way to do that.”
During Thursday’s lesson, Biagiotti started the group off with warm-up exercises that quickly segued into basic techniques — jazz walks, leg kicks and full-body turns that started on a count of 5-6-7-8.
“That was a jazz walk. Did everyone like it?” she asked at one point, receiving a resounding “Yeah!” in response.
After getting some basics under their belts, participants were given workbooks that introduced various dance styles, described the benefits of dancing on the body and mind and encouraged them to record their favorite songs along with the feelings and dance moves they inspire.
In a second session Friday, students began combining moves and techniques in preparation for a culminating presentation for Shalimar staff and parents.
“Dancing for Difference” went from a dream to a full-fledged lesson plan thanks to a fellowship offered by the nonprofit Dragon Kim Foundation that encourages high school students to use their passion, creativity and talent to make a difference in their local communities.
Those selected are given up to $5,000 in seed money and paired up with a mentor who helps them execute their plan and imparts skills about leadership, organization and decision making in what organizers call “an MBA in a box.”
“They guide you through mentoring,” Biagiotti said, describing weekly meetings and assistance in making the necessary arrangements to pull off a class. “It really helps you get your project running.”
Last year’s cohort included 35 projects led by 72 fellows who recruited 216 teens, college students and adults to help them impact more than 7,800 people in their local communities.
Daniel Kim, who in 2015 founded the nonprofit with wife Grace following the accidental death of their son, Dragon, said high school students often have great ideas about how to make positive change but are overlooked for their lack of experience or resources.
“They’re very sensitive to what their communities need. A lot of them live and breathe these issues that are in these communities,” he said Thursday. “They’re also very creative and have ideas for how to address some of these things. But very few people give them credibility or attention.
“So we thought, you know what, not having any money, experience or connections, these are all solvable issues,” he continued. “What’s harder to teach is sensitivity, creativity and passion. And they have that in abundance.”
Biagiotti on Thursday easily interacted with the class members, ages 6 to 11, maintaining an open line of discourse and keeping kids’ attention focused on dancing, music and expression.
Melissa Arambula, a coordinator for Think Together, which provides programming at the Shalimar Learning Center, said the dance course came at just the right time.
“We have a lot of students who are very excited about dance, but we just don’t usually have the capacity to do that,” she said. “We also really hit on the self-expression part of it, because that ties in to what we’d been doing with social-emotional learning at the end of the [school] year.
“[We told students] this is a safe space, where they’re going to be able to try something new.”
During a snack break Thursday, students Suleyma Ocanas, 11, 9-year-old Aleida Gutierrez and Citlali Rodriguez, 7, discussed their favorite songs and how they liked to sing and dance along.
All three were looking forward to finishing out Biagiotti’s lesson plan.
“I like dancing because it’s fun,” Citlali said, popping a green grape into her mouth. “It’s fun and I like to move.”
“I like how when a song is good, you kind of get addicted to it, “ Suleyma chimed in.
“Yeah,” Aleida agreed. “You can express yourself.”
That’s exactly what Biagiotti is going for.
“I really hope for these kids to feel more confident in themselves, like they can express themselves more and find themselves through dance,” she said.
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