spring 2014
Providing Hope and Opportunity Through Dance, Academic, and Family Programs
danceup news from The Wooden Floor
Melanie ríos glaser, artistic director
In the First Person Ann Alvarez, Class of 1999
I am the oldest of three children and was raised in Santa Ana, California. I auditioned for Beth Burns, the Founder of The Wooden Floor in 1989, and danced for ten years with the organization until I graduated from Tustin High School. A short time later, I proudly became the first person in my family to graduate from college, earning a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine.
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As a shy girl, The Wooden Floor gave me a platform to express myself through dance. It instilled valuable character traits that I have carried with me throughout life—the ones that are critical to achieving success. The confidence to take risks, discipline, and the perseverance to overcome obstacles.
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I have since gone on to start a marketing company in Huntington Beach with my husband, called Lead Research Group (LRG). We reached INC 500 status by INC Magazine as one of the “Fastest-Growing Companies” in the nation for three consecutive years from 2009-2011. I’m still dancing—but today it’s “mommy and me” dance classes. I would like my daughter to receive everything I got from dance—confidence, discipline, self-esteem, and working on oneself by building and creating.
1810 North Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92706-2727 714.541.8314 www.TheWoodenFloor.org
Recently I reconnected with The Wooden Floor to help families in need, so at least a few more children don’t have to go without during the holidays. Because I grew up in lower economic means, it is important for me to reach out to children in my home town, and to give back for all that I gained at The Wooden Floor.
Thursday, April 3, 2014 Inside the Studio 6:00pm
Thursday, April 24, 2014 2nd Annual Step Beyond Breakfast
May 29-31, 2014 31st Annual Concert Irvine Barclay Theatre
Engage with guest choreographers, Yanira Castro and Jeanine Durning, along with friends of The Wooden Floor over wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by a sneak peek performance and Q&A session with our young dancers about the dance-making process for our 31st Annual Concert. RSVP by March 27 to RSVP@TheWoodenFloor.org.
Join Orange County community and business leaders to celebrate our students’ 10th consecutive year of 100% college enrollment and to support the college scholarship program. Hear from the Class of 2014, and listen to a keynote address by Thom McElroy, co-founder of Volcom. Details on page 4.
Enjoy a triptych of works showcasing the talents of nearly 175 dancers of The Wooden Floor who collaborate with venturous contemporary dance choreographers Yanira Castro, Jeanine Durning, and Melanie Ríos Glaser. Details on page 2.
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Complete information on events featuring the students of The Wooden Floor is available online at www.TheWoodenFloor.org.
How does dance make such a huge difference? A message from the Co-CEOs of The Wooden Floor
Supporter Spotlight
The Wooden Floor is providing a solution to a troubling concern for Orange County—the increase in the poverty and high school dropout rates in low-income communities. We are doing so by using the transformative powers of dance to challenge students to not only dream, but to develop a plan to navigate their lives out of the cycle of poverty. When new people begin to learn about The Wooden Floor, they often ask, “How does dance make such a huge difference?” It is simple. The properties of our
dance aesthetic center upon innovation, creativity, teamwork, self-sufficiency, and courage. These same properties directly relate to developing the education and life skills that help each student have the confidence to move their lives forward. Today, coupling dance education and performance with academic, college preparatory, and family services, our students are reaching their full potential. This April, we are on track to hit another milestone and plan to announce that for the 10th
The Ripple Effect The Wooden Floor is full of kinetic energy—our studios seemingly bust at the seams with it as students arrive after school, ready to be set into motion, figuratively and literally, toward a bright future. Defined as the energy possessed by a system or object as a result of its motion, kinetic energy is not only relevant when we discuss dance but also when we reference the long-term goal of The Wooden Floor: to break the cycle of poverty through generational change.
Nancy & Ed Leonard This entire newsletter could be filled with the creative ways Ed and Nancy Leonard support The Wooden Floor. Generous financial support coupled with volunteer tutoring, creating holiday gift drives, donating outside performance tickets to broaden our students’ horizons – even just the highlights could take up a page or two. Their giving is tireless, thoughtful, and spans nearly two decades. It is all about relationships for them, and they have encouraged many others to get involved with The Wooden Floor. 37 friends and family members of theirs have become supporters of The Wooden Floor to date! “We are so passionate about The Wooden Floor’s mission and its dedicated tireless staff, we decided that we just had to spread the word to our colleagues, friends, and family,” says Nancy. Ed, an attorney who has volunteered on our Legal Career Night panel and recruited colleagues to do the same, agrees, “I think that The Wooden Floor is critical to the success of these students, giving them a blueprint out of poverty and toward success. Why would I not want to share that with my friends and family?” Ed and Nancy are also Dance Partners. “I’d like to see more people as partners,” says Nancy. “The benefits are twofold: financial support for The Wooden Floor and a rewarding personal relationship with a dancer as a friend who supports them emotionally as they grow. It is priceless. Our Dance Partner, Cynthia is a gem! Such a beautiful, yet seemingly shy girl, until you watch her on the dance floor!” Ed has a similar background to the students served by The Wooden Floor, which resonates deeply with him and drives his passion for the organization. “The arts are a vehicle by which kids get to know who they are,” says Nancy. “If you don’t have a strong sense of self in our world, you will be lost. For most, going to college is a first for their family and that brings pride, hope, and real achievement. These students become role models for their peers and their success is hope for the community...our community.” Pictured: Nancy and Ed with their Dance Partner, Cynthia.
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When youth emerge from their tenures at The Wooden Floor, they are beacons of hope and change—full of inspiration, knowledge, and drive, prepared to transform their circumstances. Many of our students are set in motion to become the first in their families to enroll in college while simultaneously becoming change-agents, as their passion to strive for higher education ripples through their communities. Their energy inspires parents and neighbors to work toward a change, and soon, entire communities have been transformed. This illustration of The Ripple Effect depicts how students can utilize their kinetic energy, unleashed by their journey at The Wooden Floor, to create a positive difference in the world around them.
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Adventuresome Motion If you’ve been to the Annual Concert, you know of its ability to transport you to another place. You sit in a theatre on a warm spring day, the curtain rises, and youth take to a broad, beautifully-lit stage. The first in a triptych of works begins with intricate movements that, if you squint your eyes, might look as if they are coming from a dancer much older than the young artist in front of you. But you realize these aren’t adults. They are youth wise beyond their years, performing challenging work cocreated with award-winning choreographers who are shaping the genre of contemporary dance. You find yourself enveloped in the dance as it begins to extract the beauty in the youth of the dancers, while striking at the tremendous depth of their life circumstances. These young artists, most of whom come from backgrounds with limited resources, are presenting work that is in conversation with the latest trends. In doing so, they are reaffirming that who they are, and what they have to say, matters. Save the date, to experience this bold performance that will challenge assumptions about the role that young people can play in the creation and participation of contemporary dance.
year in a row that 100% of our seniors will graduate high school on-time and immediately enroll in college, which is three times higher than their socio-economic peers. Our students, alumni, and supporters are joined as one to create a ripple effect, as they share what they have learned from their own meaningful journeys at The Wooden Floor. Like you, there is a generous community of individuals, corporations and foundations, who have joined our call to ensure that
all young people, regardless of their socio-economic status, have the tools and resources to succeed in school and in life. Thank you for making their dreams for a brighter future a reality.
Dawn S. Reese Executive Director & Co-CEO The Wooden Floor
Melanie Ríos Glaser Artistic Director & Co-CEO The Wooden Floor
The Wooden Floor
Familial support, counseling, and parent workshops provide a stable home environment for both student and parent to strive toward breaking the poverty cycle. A case by case academic plan assists a student to be ready to access higher education. College counseling and preparatory work helps ensure the student enrolls in college, graduates, and unlocks the door of possibility.
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Supporters Academics
February 3 Puerto-Rican born and Brooklyn-based choreographer Yanira Castro begins her first residency with our students in preparation for the Annual Concert, May 29-31. She and her collaborators work in a multiplicity of spaces: from warehouses to gardens to the stage, embedding dances within visual and audio installations where the audience’s presence dramatically impacts the work.
Student of The Wooden Floor Parents
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January 25 The Class of 2015 gathered on our campus TM for their first Kaplan diagnostics SAT test, provided free by The Wooden Floor to ensure they are ready to tackle the college entrance exam. January 28 The Wooden Floor’s Executive Director and Co-CEO, Dawn S. Reese, is honored with other nominees for nonprofit CFO of the Year at Orange County Business Journal’s annual awards dinner.
College Prep
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January 17 Nearly 70 young dancers lit up the stage at Roy and Edna Disney Cal/Arts Theater at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, performing a trio of courageous works by choreographers Ivy Baldwin, Susan Rethorst, and Melanie Ríos Glaser. It was The Wooden Floor’s third appearance on a stage that introduces audiences to the most influential developments in the arts from around the world. Since the theater works by invitation only, to perform at REDCAT is a testament to the ground-breaking work that The Wooden Floor is presenting. January 21 After a short holiday break, the tutoring program starts up for students of all ages, classes, and grade point averages. Thanks to its continued success, the all-campus GPA for The Wooden Floor is 3.0.
Staff & Faculty
Exposure to dance education encourages new paths of thought, which lead students to think differently about themselves.
The Wooden Floor Newsfeed
Parents’ Coworkers
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Transitions to High School 31st Annual Concert May 29-31, 2014 Irvine Barclay Theatre Tickets on sale April 1
Be a part of this unforgettable experience by joining us as a 31st Annual Concert Underwriter. Levels of support range from $3,000 to $50,000. For more information on underwriting the Annual Concert, please contact Keegan at 714.541.8314 ext. 140 or Keegan@TheWoodenFloor.org.
Due to increased student retention at the high school level, The Wooden Floor is piloting two new programs slated to launch this spring to support students during their pivotal transition to high school. “Incredible” for 8th grade girls and “Astonish” for 8th grade boys, aim to reinforce concepts established in our On Target and IMAGINE workshops for our 7th graders, such as decision-making, goal-setting, and problemsolving. In addition, the pilot programs will explore the elements that influence the formation of “self,” including personality and belief systems, to develop a strong sense of self as students prepare to enter high school. Workshop topics include “That’s Right!” about motivation and achievement, and “I’ve Got Your Back,” about the importance of social support systems, self/ peer acceptance, and belonging within the context of goal achievement. These pilot programs were launched through increased funds from supporters, to reinforce the vital skills students learn every day in the dance studio, such as visioning, team work, and self-awareness. These workshops strengthen our students’ 10-year journey at The Wooden Floor, and the incredible and astonishing things that await them as they soar beyond our walls.
February 3 The Wooden Floor is honored by its nomination for Arts Organization of the Year at Coast Magazine’s Community Awards, honoring Orange County’s most generous community service and philanthropic heroes. February 18 Annual Concert guest choreographer Jeanine Durning, a native New Yorker and award-winning artist, gathers for the first time with her cast as they co-create one of three pieces debuting at this May’s Annual Concert. February 20 Middle and high school age students convene for the quarterly Career Night, this time featuring careers related to “People Helping People.” March 10 Our dancers participate in a celebration at UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts honoring Don Beall and his wife Joan, who is also a Board Member of The Wooden Floor. The couple will receive a star on the school’s walk of fame to pay tribute to their long philanthropic leadership in Orange County. March 22 Breakfast is served! The Parent Leadership Council prepares hot meals for families on campus for Saturday classes to raise funds for The Wooden Floor. May 2 Continuing a year of community performances, students of The Wooden Floor participate in the 40th anniversary of VSA, an international organization promoting arts access for all, which will honor its founder, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. Stay up to date! www.TheWoodenFloor.org 3
The Wooden Floor Board of Directors 2013-2014 Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB, Chair Chairman and CEO, MVE Institutional, Inc. Jim Driscoll, VICE CHAIR Community Leader Damien Jordan, Immediate Past Chair General Manager, Retired, American Funds/Capital Group Companies, Inc. Richard C. Hunsaker, Treasurer President, Hunsaker Management Epiphany owen, secretary Partner, Government & Regulatory Law Rutan & Tucker, LLP Joan Beall Community Leader Catherine Chase Senior Vice President, Credit Suisse Private Bank MARIA CIRESE Parent Representative Community Leader Frank Foster Principal, Residential Strategies, LLC Frank Hall Vice President Resource Development, Retired, St. Joseph Health Sharon Hartshorn Community Leader
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Virginia Hunsaker Community Leader Yvonne M. Jordan Community Leader Catherine MacIver Senior Vice President, Bank of America Retail Products Group Danny Melita Community Leader Yvonne R. O’Neill Certified Public Accountant, O’Neill Financial Management Luz Orozco Parent Representative Community Leader Cyrus Parker–Jeannette Dean of the College of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach JUDy POSNIKOFF Managing Director, Pacific Alternative Asset Management Co., LLC.
Step Beyond is our opportunity to stand behind the graduates of The Wooden Floor and ensure that they can readily step beyond their “second home” with the tools and confidence to succeed in school and in life. This support is especially needed since many of our graduates are the first in their family to enroll in higher education. Join us to demonstrate to our graduating Class of 2014 that their community is behind them as we raise funds in support of our college preparatory services and college scholarship programs. The Class of 2014 is on track to be the 10th class in a row at The Wooden Floor to have 100% of students graduate high school on-time and immediately enroll in colleges and universities!
2nd Annual Step Beyond Breakfast Thursday, April 24, 2014 at The Wooden Floor 7:30am Registration 8:00am Breakfast 8:30am Keynote Speaker: Thom McElroy, Co-Founder of Volcom
DAWN S. REeSE Executive Director and Co-CEO, The Wooden Floor
Hear from Thom on his journey to higher education and how it influenced his entrepreneurial spirit. With experience in bringing the youth market to the masses through his creative design and advertising approach, Thom has been the driving force in developing branding for X Box, Vans, Quicksilver, Taco Bell, O’Neill, and Volcom, the youth lifestyle clothing label he co-founded in 1991.
Melanie Ríos Glaser Artistic Director and Co-CEO, The Wooden Floor Kristy Santimyer-Melita Community Leader Jim Slaughter Attorney at Law, Slaughter & Slaughter, LLP Larry Stofko Executive Vice President, Innovation Institute, St. Joseph Health Mary E. TOLAR Vice President and Senior Strategic Program Manager, American Funds/Capital Group Companies, Inc. Barbara Yingling Community Leader William Yingling III Community Leader Beth Burns, Board Emerita Founder of The Wooden Floor and Artistic Director (’83-’05) Socorro Vasquez, Board Emerita Community Leader Photography by: Kevin P. Casey, Christine Cotter, Nick Koon, and Bud Lammers
The morning includes: • Celebration of Class of 2014 graduates • Stories of students’ success • Keynote address • Recognition of Class Partners, who help underwrite the academic journeys of each of our graduating classes Sponsorships & Tickets Sponsorships start at $1,000 and raise funds to support The Wooden Floor’s academic programs and college scholarships. Individual tickets are $75 per person. Please RSVP by April 17, 2014, with the enclosed envelope; by phone to Keegan Bell at 714.541.8314 ext. 140; or online at www.TheWoodenFloor.org/StepBeyond
*Photo of Thom McElroy courtesy of San Diego State University.
Supporters Step Up for Long-Term Impact
Dine Out to Donate
In 2013, in celebration of our 30th Anniversary, we formally established The Wooden Floor Legacy Society to recognize the importance bequests and other planned gifts are to the future of our mission, programs, and the generations of under-served young people who need our help to realize their full potential. We would like to thank the individuals and couples who have already become members of this significant group by informing us of their provisions or intentions for a planned gift to The Wooden Floor or our Endowment Fund. Turning their individual passions into long-term impact, these donors have looked ahead to the needs of future generations.
Use the Communities for Cause app on your smartphone to find local restaurants and businesses that will make a contribution to The Wooden Floor based on a percentage of your final bill! Participating businesses include Zov’s Bistro, AnQi, and Sharky’s, among others.
If you have already arranged for a future gift, or would like more information about the many approaches and benefits of making such a meaningful gift, please contact Keegan Bell at 714.541.8314 ext. 140.
For more information on setting up this app, please visit www.TheWoodenFloor.org/DineOut
Thank you to the major supporters who have come forward this spring for the students of The Wooden Floor, including: 4 The Wooden Floor | spring 2014
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O.L. Halsell Foundation