StageRight A CITYstage Publication
Fall 2015
THE CITYstage METHOD Our Mission, History, and Future 10 MINS OF SILENCE Reflecting on Camp AFRICAN BEATS James Waterman PLUS: Poetry Theater Class Student & Intern Spotlights
Vol. 1, Issue 1.
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Table of Contents FALL 2015
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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THE CITYstage METHOD Our Mission, History, and Future
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SUMMER CAMP 2015 Student Spotlight 10 Minutes of Silence Poetry Theater Class Projects Intern Experience 2016 Sponsorship Opportunities
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AFRICAN BEATS: A CULTURAL EXCHANGE Meet Teaching Artists, James Waterman
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LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Student Spotlight
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D i d You Know ? Low-income students who are highly engaged in the arts are more than twice as likely to graduate college than their peers with no arts education.
(Research, Americans for the Arts) 1
Letter from the Executive Director EMILI DANZ
There was a time, not very long ago, that CITYstage existed only in my imagination. It was an idea with immense possibility...an idea that marked the beginning of a remarkable journey that continues to challenge and inspire me. One of the most satisfying aspects of this journey so far is the reality that CITYstage is now something so much bigger than an idea in my imagination. It is an established organization. A resource in our community that is making a difference in the lives of so many people around me. As I sit and observe a Krump dance class as part of our Leadership Academy at Pathways Community School, I soak in the confident, carefree laughter of the students as they learn intricate choreography from Shofu, their Teaching Artist. I take pause in this moment to appreciate how far we have come on this journey and the countless hours our staff, board of directors, and other volunteers have contributed to pave the road I can now feel under my feet. I can see how far we have traveled in these last five years and the exciting path ahead, thanks to the generous support of the donors, foundations, and businesses that chose CITYstage. It is from this place of great pride that I am pleased to introduce you to Stage Right, our new eMagazine designed to connect the people who invest their time and money in the mission of CITYstage with the depth of impact we get to see every day. We hope you enjoy Stage Right!
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The
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The boy watches cautiously at first. His eyes are skeptical, but his attention captured by CITYstage Teaching Artist Miles Crawford. Miles is tall. His stature towers over the young boy attending the CITYstage Summer Camp for the first time. Miles is also a master performer. As you watch him teach you can’t help but feel the decade of shows he performed with the hit show STOMP. It doesn’t matter if there are three students nearby or a sold out 5,000 seat theater, you can see the confidence and performance energy radiating out of his body. Rhythm by rhythm and move by move, the boy slowly joins the group as they learn a street percussion routine choreographed by Miles. By the end of the week he will be performing this routine for a packed house full of parents, CITYstage friends, and members of the community. This will be the first time he feels that “pre-show excitement” that builds as the house lights come down, feels the heat from the stage lights as they come up to reveal his nervous eyes, sees the sea of shadowed faces in front of him, and hears the sound of applause as he 4
completes his first performance. More importantly, this is the first time he will experience the sense of accomplishment and validation that comes from performing. By the end of the show he stands a little taller. He smiles a little wider. His eyes are more open, less hesitant to tackle whatever comes his way. He has just spent the last two weeks exploring over 16 different performing arts disciplines from A Cappella voice, to choreography, to stand up comedy. He is exhausted, but his new sense of purpose and hope satiates that exhaustion. He laughs with the new friends he’s made, trying to avoid saying goodbye as the theater staff stands patiently near the door in a way that says, “It’s time to leave.” CITYstage founders, staff, board members, interns, volunteers, and donors watch from afar. This is the moment they get to trade places with the students. It’s their turn to be wallflowers. It’s their moment to smile at each other with a look that silently confirms a realization they’re seeing with their own eyes, “it worked.”
(continue pg.6)
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These results are not accidental. They stem from a carefully constructed approach the organization lives by: the CITYstage Method. The CITYstage Method is the guiding force behind all CITYstage programming. A full-bodied approach to education, this method builds leaders from the inside out by focusing on the three layers of experience: MIND. BODY. STAGE. The results are engaging activities that develop confident, productive, and well-rounded citizens with a strong sense of community.
MIND
Our focus on leadership and academic success is a guiding principle that inspires positive change from the inside out. Making this a priority provides
balance, direction, and results beyond traditional study in the performing arts. It is also a strategy that sets CITYstage apart from many other performing arts organizations. Performing arts classes are used as a vehicle to build tomorrow’s leaders.
BODY
In depth exploration in performing arts technique enables students to gain a physical skill that feels second nature. The ability to feel successful at a physical skill results in a dramatic increase in self confidence and self worth. Additionally, the active lifestyle that stems from participation in the performing arts also shapes the health and physical well being of students across Los Angeles.
ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS CORE CLASSES
SUMMER CAMP
ARTS DISCOVERY
SEPT - MAY
JULY - AUG
YEAR ROUND
Single-subject performing arts technique classes in Dance, Theater, Music, and the Production Arts.
Free, two-week summer camp where students take 16+ micro classes in Dance, Music, Theater, and Production Arts.
Field trips to live performances, workshops, and masterclasses for all CITYstage students.
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STAGE
program development, the result has been programming spanning a diverse By preparing students for the range of disciplines. CITYstage students performance stage, we ultimately who experience the summer camp, arts prepare and inspire them to succeed on life’s stage. Whether or not students discovery events, and the leadership continue in the arts, the lessons learned academy, ultimately explore and perform in dozens of different styles will serve them in any career path, across dance, music, theater, and the because after all, “All the world’s a production arts, all while retaining focus stage, and all the men and women on the ultimate end goal - inspiring the merely players.” next generation of underserved L.A. youth that they CAN be successful. RESULTS Because these core focuses guide
Launching at
Pathways Community School
Fall 2015
Check out the next edition of Stage Right to learn about our comprehesive approach to performing arts education and leadership actively serving students in South Los Angeles. 7
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SUMMER CAMP ‘15 T
here are few emotions quite as powerful as the feeling one gets on the last day of school. A mixture of accomplishment, relief, and optimism for the summer to come, the last day of school is often regarded as a joyous day by students and teachers alike. It doesn’t matter if you are a student who loves school, or a student whose passions lie elsewhere, summer break brings seemingly unyielding potential for just about everyone. Few days in one’s life are as genuinely optimistic as the last day of school. All across America teens look forward to classic summer activities like swimming, catching up on favorite books, enjoying a good Netflix binge, traveling, starting a band with neighborhood friends, camping, and attending summer camps. The possibilities seem endless and the freedom feels like a breath of crisp cool air. While this may be the idyllic summer escape of the American teen we’ve come to cherish, in reality, these activities are not accessible to every child in America. Creating memories of fireside ghost stories isn’t realistic for the family whose parents each work two jobs to make ends meet. Road trips pose challenges when the family car is a public transit pass. And summer camp can be costly, distant, and out of reach for many. 9
The reality of summer break for a teen in the urban neighborhoods of Los Angeles is often lacking the glamour of summer camp cabin mates turned pen pals and lazy weekends by the lake. It doesn’t take long to realize that summer life is ultimately just school year life, minus the structure of activities and opportunities for growth afforded to them at school. Friends are miles away or working to help out at home. For some, the safety of a secure school suddenly sounds like a playground compared to the neighborhood park with a questionable reputation.
and the production arts. Throughout each twoweek session students develop tangible skills and an understanding of art forms and people once unfamiliar and intimidating. By the end of the session, campers have gained friends, performance and technical skills, awareness, and a noticeable increase in confidence.
Now in its third year, the CITYstage Summer Camp has become a known place to go for safe and nurturing exploration of one’s self through the performing arts. Returning students arrive on the first day The CITYstage Summer to take first time campCamp combats these ers under their wings as summer realities for they are challenged daily teens in Los Angeles. The with new performing arts fully funded camp enables disciplines to learn, and students from across ultimately perform. Camp Los Angeles to come totraditions have emerged gether and explore a wide over the years that quickrange of daily classes in ly become loved by the dance, music, theater, once nervous first-timers
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and each year the showcase production becomes increasingly dynamic. Summer Camp 2015 was a special year for exploration thanks in part to the generous support of Women Helping Youth, a foundation of inspiring women who chose CITYstage as a 2015 grant recipient. With their financial support CITYstage was able to invest in a set of African drums hand-crafted in West Africa and Ghana, guitars, and music production equipment. The impact was a dramatic increase in our capacity to offer an increasingly diverse range of classes, as well as a dramatic expanse of new Teaching Artist talent. As the students reached for their drums, guitars, and recording equipment, it became clear that the real benefit wouldn’t come directly from the object in hand, but rather
from the Teaching Artists now able to share their gifts with the students. Students weren’t just excited to hold a guitar for the first time, they were also excited to spend a
few hours with a musician who had built a career out of his dedication to the instrument. While we know nothing can fully recreate
the experience of being there, please enjoy the next several pages as a glimpse into the lives of students at CITYstage summer camp 2015.
Student Spotlight “CITYstage is like another family, no one ever makes you feel different or unwanted, there is no higher talent nor lower talent. It isn’t about who can dance better or hit that perfect note, it’s about standing in front of that audience and being yourself.
Kaelene AGE: 17
CITYstage has helped me be who I am today, the person I tried to hide because I was shy and scared to be judged and now I’m the first to participate everywhere I go. I have found my way to express myself and it has helped me make much progress in my teenage years.
SCHOOL: Humanities and Arts Academy of Los Angeles
CITYstage has pushed me to go audition for famous TV shows and volunteer myself for any musical opportunity I get in front of me. I learned to stop saying no and just go with the flow.
CITYstage CLASSES: Summer Camp & Core Classes at Camino Nuevo Miramar and ArtShare L.A.
The person who introduced me to CITYstage was Emili Danz. The first day I met her she made me let go of the shy person I was and just express myself. She changed my life completely and I am beyond grateful.
CAREER GOALS: Mechanical Engineering & Music
My favorite memory at CITYstage would have to be when I got my very first solo... I sang “All of Me” by John Legend and that day completely changed my life...
DREAM COLLEGE: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo or Rochester Institute of Technology
Advice I would give new CITYstage students? Go for it, not only will CITYstage change your life it will be one of your greatest accomplishments and it will make you find your inner arts.” 11
10 Minutes of Silence: A Reflection on Summer Camp 2015
By: Allyse Corbin, Summer Camp Coordinator This is my second year working at the CITYstage Summer Camp, and I am truly proud and grateful to work with such wonderful youth, staff, and artists. The CITYstage Summer Camp experience gives youth in LA an amazing opportunity to be immersed in three music, dance, and theatre classes every day. By the end of camp, the students perform in a showcase for their friends and family. CITYstage is so much more than students practicing and creating a final impressive product, however – it’s about creating a safe space for them to develop confidence. One day in particular during camp this summer showed me how beneficial CITYstage’s environment is for our campers. During a break between classes, a teaching artist lead a focus game to get the kids serious and centered before the next class. The activity was simple and required 10 minutes of complete silence and reflection. The campers are rarely asked for complete silence, and it affected them in different ways. Most of the students sat quietly, but three of them became upset and had to leave the room during the exercise. I stepped out to talk with each of the three students separately when they left the room. Talking with the three campers was eye opening. After each expressed their reasons for feeling overwhelmed, I reminded each of them where he or she was: a place where everyone is allowed to feel their emotions and encouraged to use those feelings instead of suppressing them. This opened the campers’ eyes to how they could use CITYstage as a safe place to grow. The stories and cries I heard were heartbreaking, but the smiles I saw later made me realize how important those moments were.
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I went to check on the hip hop and poetry theatre classes less than an hour later and saw all three students who were extremely overwhelmed with emotion earlier, totally engaged in classes. The student in the hip hop class who had been crying and feeling alone and sad just moments before was now dancing with a huge smile and an incredible amount of energy. The other middle school student who was feeling mad and sad right before class was dancing with the most focused intensity I had seen out of her all summer. When I went into Poetry Theatre, I took note of the student who had been crying and feeling very bad about limitations put on others, writing a poem that she later performed in such a way that made everyone in the room get chills. This made me realize that these students are learning to be resilient, brave, creative, and, most importantly, that they are allowed to be students. CITYstage is a safe place for kids to be crazy, creative, graceful, and clumsy. CITYstage is a safe place for students to create amazing artwork and performances just as they are. CITYstage is a safe place for kids to be celebrated and taught how to celebrate themselves through performance art. The showcase at the end of camp was not only a display of how much knowledge this group of students had obtained, it was proof that these campers had gained confidence, charisma, and new passions. It is always interesting to see the students come out of their shells, discover talents even they didn’t know they had, and perform for friends and family, but the experience for the kids is more than all of that. CITYstage is about safe, educational spaces that let kids experience performance art and the important connection to living a happy life.
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Summer Camp 2015 Poetry Theater Class Projects
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The English teacher calls on me to define beauty. Bulging eyes stare into the depth of my soul. I answer: When I am 5’4 When I have hair flowing down my back When I have expensive clothes or shoes. BUT WAIT -Why can’t I just ever be enough? • Goodbye is a hurtful word to say to someone you love or are close to, But you have to say it to say goodbye. • If I showed you my flaws, And I couldn’t be strong, Tell me honestly, Would you still love me the same? Would you think of me differently? Would you treasure me for who I am? Will it be you and I? Or just me? Would we carry on like we used to? Or just slowly fade away? If we broke up, Would you leave or I? Will we become strangers? You only want me when I’m taken. There is more excitement in that. • Death, Not as dreadful as it seems, Is the end. Not of happiness, But of Pain. Not of sunshine, But of rain. Not of truth, But of legend. If life is hell, Then death is heaven • 16
We only regret the chances, We didn’t take. Never give up. Take those chances. Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, You’ll land amongst the stars. • Screaming, Shouting, Hollering, And yelling. It makes my life feel like away it’s sailing. A secret they keep away from me. It feels like I’m not even free. Adoption is what the secret is. Anger rises up in me like soda fizz. They wonder why I’m so confused, But they don’t know that it left a bruise. When I talked to her for the first time, It made my heart grow and shine. Everyone took it as a head to a beam. But all it made me what to do is SCREAM! Life is like a football game. Your parents are coaches, Because they want you to succeed. • I learned to regret nothing, Because at some point -It was exactly what I wanted. To just live on the wild side. Not judged for who I am, Or my decisions. To just be me. I don’t want to feel obligated to fit in, But I don’t want to be excluded, Because I don’t meet their expectations in society. I regret nothing because in this life, We can only save ourselves. •
Finding myself, But losing the fam. Only because their image of me, Is not who I am. Who am I? I am a paradox. I am caring, yet heartless. Fearless, yet afraid. Peaceful, yet chaotic. Outgoing, yet reserved. Flirty, yet shy. Sweet, yet sour. Single, yet taken. Serious, yet funny. Good, yet bad. Strong, yet weak. Angel, yet demon. Lost, yet found. Perfect, yet imperfect. I am a paradox. I am me. Life is like a cookie. Some people want it, Some people don’t. And the things that make it good, Is the hard work you put into it. There’s dry things, And runny things, Hard and soft -But all together can make, A masterpiece. • Life is boring. Like a sloth, Or sack of old potatoes. Nothing really happens. • Life is like being in a play. Crazy, Fun, Exhausting, Scheduled but unpredictable. •
Life is cruel, Life is disastrous. It brings pain, It brings suffering. But it also is love, Happiness, Excitement. Life brings warmth, And ideas. • Life is waking up to the drip-drop of the rain. Love and hate, All hitting you at once. Life is losing the one thing you care about. Coming to the realization, That it’s never coming back again. Life is a good mystery. What you don’t know, You know. And what you think you know, You don’t. Life is the realization, That life, Like all good things, Came to an end. • Life is like baking a cake. Each comes out differently. • Life is like a rollercoaster. There’s those moments, When you have a smooth ride to the top-And then just like that you can fall, All the way to the bottom. But you know when you’re going down really fast and you still enjoy it? That’s like life. Even when you’re inches away From hitting rock bottom, You can still make the most Of the little time you have. •
*All poems are presented anonymously to preserve the safe space and privacy established in class.
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The
CITYstage Summer Camp
Intern Experience
By, Lilia Jimenez This summer, I got to intern at CITYstage Summer Camp. A bit of background on me: I am a sophomore at Occidental College, and I am majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Education and Latin American Studies. My interest for interning at CITYstage came from my desire to work in the nonprofit sector in Los Angeles when I graduate, specifically non profit organizations assisting and working with kids. An average day at CITYstage Summer Camp started with setting up the main theatre and classrooms for classes
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taking place, and leading the signing-in and signing-out for the summer camp students. After that, my tasks as an intern varied depending on what classes were going on, what preparation was needed for the final showcases, and if Emili had any logistical non profit business that I could help her with. So I could be making arts and crafts one hour, be looking over CITYstage financial documents the next hour, and setting up African drums the hour after that. Every day I would help with laying out lunch and snack time, and assist with the cleanup process. While days could be long, I truly enjoyed the experience
of doing multiple different tasks each day. My favorite job as an intern was definitely watching the students in their classes, particularly dance classes. It was amazing to see students start their first day a little anxious and self-conscious in their dancing, then by the last day mastering the choreography. I also had the opportunity to help one of the instructors, Kahlil, in his poetry theatre class which was definitely a highlight of my time interning at CITYstage. There are so many things I learned from being a summer intern at CITYstage, an important one being the power of the performing arts as a
vehicle for which students can find their unique voice. Each class allowed them to step out of their comfort zone, and to be self confident in their
own skin. I got to witness first-hand how much thought and work goes into making CITYstage run smoothly, as well as how Emili’s passion for
her job is reflected in the excitement and passion of the CITYstage students. I also learned that banana hotdogs are the most delicious snack ever :)
Sponsor Summer Camp 2016 CITYstage Summer Camp 2015 was made possible by the generous support of the following business, partner organizations, and individuals. To inquire about sponsorship and recognition opportunities for Summer Camp 2016, please email info@lacitystage.org, subject: “Summer Camp Sponsorship”.
Betsy & Steve Astor Susan & Paul Bowers Peter Carniglia & Heidi Chan Pat & Joe Chapman Melissa Cliver Farley Crawford S Custom Dave & Sandy Danz Salomeh & Ruben Diaz Suzanne Dodd
Jeffrey Dvorak & Michael Slocum Danielle Elkins Joy & Ken Futernick Colleen Hanley Michael Lewandowski Eric Luna Alexandrea Martin Bob & Tricia Moore Cheryl & Sal Munar Lauren Munar
Jesus Nebot Bob & Cathy Nicksin Tina Marie & Peter Phan Randy Quinton & Ellie Viray Lois Rachal Brian Robinson Carol Rowberg Brian & Peggy Sassi Dawn Schmaling Kathy Shapero
Darrell Smith Ed & Shondell Spiegel Stan Stahl Leslie Terpin Gary Tokumori Loren Tripp & Bruce Ryan Jennifer Vides Kelly Ward Cindy Winebaum Deidra Woods Ramona Wright
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African Beat A Q&A with Teaching Artist James Waterman Interviewed by, Kristen Rea
K: We know you as a teacher, but you have a diverse performance background. What styles have you studied? J: I became a drummer and a percussionist at 6 years old. I loved the Beatles and learned how to play rock drum set. I studied Western classical music in high school and college and have since studied West African drumming, jazz vibraphone, Middle Eastern frame drumming and belly dance drumming, contemporary classical music, Latin percussion, Indian tabla, Brazilian batucada drumming, and Trinidadian steel drumming.
J: My favorite performing experience has got to be playing lead drum in Ghana, West Africa during a trip in 2013. It was such an honor to be in command of the lead drum after studying with master drummers during my travels there. K: What drew you to want to teach for CITYstage?
J: I’ve been lucky enough in my life to have access to information on music and drumming from around the world, and have had the resources to pursue my passion. Because of this, I’ve always felt I have a duty to offer what I can to inspire young people who don’t necessarily have the opportunities I’ve had to explore and learn to love music and drumming. CITYstage does incredible work doing exactly this in Los Angeles. When I saw an opening for a world percussion specialist, I knew I had to apply.
“I’ve always felt I have a duty to offer what I can to inspire young people” K: What groups do you perform with? J: I currently perform with a number of groups in L.A. including the Volta African Ensemble and Dhara World Music Quartet. K: What has been your favorite performance experience? 20
K: What was your first day teaching at Summer Camp like? J: On my first day, I wasn’t sure what to expect. To
ts
James Waterman teaching African Drumming at Pathways Community School 21
James leading African Drumming at the CITYstage Leadership Academy at Pathways Community School
Summer Camp 2015 students performing on Djembes
Bottom Left & Right: James teaching music classes in Jamaica
many people, and especially kids, African drumming can seem strange and unfamiliar. I thought that I’d have to do quite a bit of selling. Instead, I was met with a group of kids that were so excited about exploring this music that they came back during their break period just to keep drumming. Also, the kids’ ability to pick up each rhythm and pattern was outstanding. K: You’ve done a lot of teaching overseas. Where have you’ve traveled to teach music and what was that 22
experience like? J: I worked in southern Jamaica, teaching drumming, singing, and dancing to K-12 students. I was assigned with the task of teaching the students traditional music from Jamaica that had been somewhat lost over the years as the island assimilated with US culture. What I noticed the most was the feeling of community found everywhere I went. It was moving to see students and adults in this underprivileged area of Jamaica living with high spirits and a true sense of joy in their lives,
regardless of their circumstances. I felt very lucky to be able to offer what I could to these students, and was happy to hear afterwards that the students still frequently still sing and recite the songs and rhythms I taught them while I was there. K: Have you seen any parallels between the students you’ve worked with around the world, and the students you work with in Los Angeles? J: One of the most impor-
tant lessons I’ve learned from teaching on the East Coast, in Jamaica, and in Los Angeles is that no matter where you go, kids are kids. It’s important that every kid in every city or country be given opportunities to explore, be creative, and to develop agency and leadership skills. Kids in underprivileged areas of the world or country really appreciate these opportunities, and in many ways need them most of all. The ability to create and perform music in a safe setting gives these students control over their lives, at least for one moment. I’ve found that my students in Jamaica and in underserved areas of LA respond especially enthusiastically to these opportunities, as if they’ve been waiting for a chance to be creative and show their potential.
Student Spotlight
K: Your African Drumming class is a new addition thanks to a grant from the Women Helping Youth Foundation. What has this set of authentic, handbuilt West African instruments meant for your classes?
Name: Ashley Age: 13 School: Pathways Community School Career Goal: To be a Doctor Dream College: UCLA What makes you unique? “I’m nice and brave and I’m special because I have a twin.”
J: I can not thank the Women Helping Youth Foundation, the drum makers, and the Heartwood Project enough for making our access to these amazing instruments possible. The drums we have are beautiful wooden instruments from West Africa that provide an invaluable experience for our students. Our students get an accurate model of what a West African drumming ensemble sounds like, and are able to build technique that is applicable to an authentic instrument. The drums also help immerse the students in this new experience of discovering a new and exciting form of music.
Name: Caesar Age: 14 School: Pathways Community School Career Goal: Animator Dream College: ITT Tech What makes you unique? “I like to draw. A lot!” 23
Thank you for reading
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