Crossroads News

Second Annual Dance and Dialogue Takes Place

Workshop engages dancers’ bodies and minds. 
More than 160 Middle School students attended the second annual Dance and Dialogue on Feb. 28, created last year by Middle School dance teacher Ricka Glucksman. Students representing Crossroads, New Roads, Bancroft Middle School, Berendo Middle School, Pacoima Middle School and the Arts and Media Academy spent the day attending dance classes and Council, connecting through dance, shared experiences and a commitment to use art to make a difference in their communities.

Classes were offered in salsa (led by Crossroads Middle School core teacher Oksana Godoy), West African dance and lyrical dance. The lyrical dance was taught by an instructor who is deaf and incorporated sign language into the choreography, resulting in a powerful performance by students. “They danced to the song ‘Imagine,’” Ricka shares. “Everyone that came to watch that dance wound up with tears in their eyes.”

Ricka established Dance and Dialogue to put dance in a context beyond performance, encouraging emotional honesty through movement and individual growth. It also enables students from different social and economic backgrounds to unite through open communication and their common love of dance. Participating schools have committed to using dance as a way to support their community, such as raising awareness for a cause, performing for those who would not otherwise have access to dance or to raise money for a charity. 
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