Dance Camp Allows High School Students to Express Themselves
 Janelle Keane (center) teaches GEAR UP students Samba dancing to the beat of drums. |
High school senior Cassandra Beecher has known since seventh grade that she wanted to pursue dance in college. Sophomore Fabio Pena is also interested in dance. Both were looking for ways to get more involved with dance and to learn more about the College experience.
In late August, they were among 61 students—23 male, 38 female—who spent the week at the University of Washington (UW) Seattle campus living in dorms and attending college-level dance classes.
Now in its second year, the dance camp is offered through a program called GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), funded primarily by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education with additional support from the UW Office of the Provost and the Office of the UW College of Arts & Sciences. GEAR UP is part of a national effort to help students from low-income families plan for and succeed in higher education.
Many of the participants had never been to Seattle before, nor exposed to a wide range of dance genres that include African, Swing, Capoeira, Modern, Funk, and Voice and Movement. "The biggest thing students say about this program is that it gives them more confidence,” says Jennifer Salk, associate professor in dance and coordinator of the program. “I think establishing a safe environment for them to explore, create, and feel comfortable making mistakes—although there really are no mistakes—is the best thing we can offer these students.”
Cassandra and Fabio learned about the Dance Camp through their GEAR UP director at East Valley High School in Yakima. Although previous dance experience is not required, Salk was very impressed with Cassandra’s raw ability and is hopeful that she will realize her dream of majoring in dance at the UW. Salk sees great potential in Fabio as well, and hopes he also will decide to major in dance.
During Dance Camp, Cassandra was passionate about learning from the various instructors. “If you want to work hard, then you should come to Dance Camp,” says Cassandra of the experience. “But, you really need to have a work ethic. You need to be respectful of the instructors and the chance to learn.”
Cassandra and Fabio were both particularly taken with the styles of swing and modern dance. One favorite moment was learning contemporary dance moves and creating their own dance with Ellie Sandstromm, instructor at Velocity Dance Center and the Northwest School. Another was learning the dance from the music video “Single Ladies” (sung by Beyonce Knowles) from instructor Mark Haim, Senior Artist in Residence at the UW from 2002 through 2008.
For Fabio, dance was just one of the benefits of the camp. Beyond that, he says, “it was a great opportunity for me to get to know more about what it would be like to go to college.”
