On Jan. 26, Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) dance company, Get to the Pointe (GTP), held their first dance workshop for the 2023-2024 school year. Sophomore Dana Robles was chosen to choreograph and host the Hip-Hop workshop. At the end of the week, students gathered to be taught a high energy dance choreography to the song, “Hypnotic Data”, by the popular singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer, Odetari. This activity allowed students to learn a new dance style they may have never practiced before.
In the crowded dance room, GTP as well as non-GTP members who were simply interested in learning a new style of dance attended the lesson. This workshop is the first of many that will explore different types of dance styles taught by students in order to expand their dance knowledge.
“There are a couple of reasons why we have these workshops. The first is to have an open invitation to any BVH student who’s potentially interested in taking dance, but also provide other students who have already encountered dance to try some different styles,” BVH’s Physical Education (PE) Dance, International Baccalaureate Dance teacher, Christine Timmons said. “As for the students already in dance, maybe they want to keep dancing and try some new styles, or for my students to be able to lead class and work on their leadership skills and choreography skills.”
Timmons describes the motivation for students to attend these workshops, and the benefits that it brings to those that do. With this workshop, students are able to learn a new form of dance they may not have known before. Robles explains the benefits of dancing and how freeing it can be. In this class, students followed an electronic style of dance that utilized the music’s robotic and glitchy sound effects.
“I’ve [wanted] to teach this workshop because personally I’ve grown up loving dance and I just think that being able to teach workshops is a great opportunity to share my dancing. I feel like more than anything, it’s such a beautiful art form because you’re able to express so many different emotions. You don’t even have to say what you’re feeling because you can say it through your body language,” Robles said.
For many people, dancing is a very beneficial form of self-expression. Specifically for the workshop, Hip-Hop is a form of music that combines rhythmic speech over sounds created by producers. It can be used to express feelings or simply to dance to an enjoyable song. Having the opportunity to have these workshops, whether they are on the dance team or not, is a beneficial tool. Granting the opportunity to people, whether they are on the dance team, or do it out of school brings positivity.
“I had so much fun. As someone who dances outside of school, it was really nice to just be able to be in that community and be surrounded by people who just love to have a lot of fun and have a good time. I love the environment, and I am so glad I participated. I would love to do it again, I really do love the workshops and think they are a great opportunity. I know they kind of fell off a little bit last year, so I’m glad that we brought them back really strong,” sophomore Ally Scott said.
In the previous year, these workshops did not have quite the large turn out that this one did. Not only is now a free opportunity for anyone to join, but it gives incentive to individuals on the dance team for extra credit. Timmons’ goal with this workshop was to be able to expose kids to a wider range of culture.
“Students come to learn different styles. Quite frankly, a lot of this generation have only been exposed [to dancing] on social media. They’re not going to go into that on their own. And so I try to expose them to so much more than what they’re used to,” Timmons said.
Timmons’ goal for GTP is to expand the program to more people. Whether they are in high school or elementary, she intends to teach kids about different dance cultures. It also allows for a place to explore a student’s interest in dance.
“I don’t normally take Hip-Hop so it was really fun to get to do it ourselves and see [Robles’] choreography. It was definitely challenging but I had a lot of fun doing it. These workshops are really helpful because it provides a safe space for anyone who wants to try dance. They give you a really good free experience for you to just see how you like dancing and I think it’s an environment where it’s not super competitive,” Scott said.
In the future, GTP and Timmons plan to host more workshops. On Feb. 2, junior Toya Luna, will be teaching another Hip-Hop dance class, and will also host a jazz class the following week. There are many opportunities for students to learn in a short class, as well as for dance students themselves.
“We have workshops the next few Fridays. For my students directly, we have this district cultural workshop, where we bring in the whole district with dancers from their school classes [to] people that are in the cultural dance scene. So we have Samba, Afro-Cuban, swing dance, Bollywood and Guatemalan. That’s not my area of expertise. so I’m bringing community members to teach the dancers throughout the district,” Timmons said.
Timmons explains the importance of building confidence, and how dance can be a tool to express that skill. Especially with Hip-Hop, that is more of a freeing style of dance, there are many avenues to feel less restrictions and the movement of oneself.
“Even during the workshop, I feel like they gain confidence because they’re able to go quickly. And as you can see, it’s a pretty supportive environment where nobody’s gonna make anybody feel dumb [or] judge you for taking a class,” Timmons said.
Whether a GTP student or a person who has only ever danced alone attends these workshops, they will see benefits of increased confidence, learning a new dance style or culture, as well as making new friends in a safe environment without judgment.
“Feel free in the fact that there’s other styles of dance. If you’re going to dance, don’t dance because you have to or because someone’s telling you to. You should dance because that’s [how] you want to express yourself,” Robles said.
