56 min
Culturally Relevant Dance Education With Chell Parkins of Ballet Hispanico Ocu-Pasión
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- Arts
Capítulo 041: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by doctoral fellow and program assistant Chell Parkins. Listen in as we discuss the experiences of Latin youth engaged in culturally relevant dance-making practices, her contribution to the nation's only doctoral program focused on educational research in dance, and her journey back to Puerto Rico.
Chell Parkins is a Doctoral Fellow and Program Assistant in the Dance Education Program at Teachers College, where her research explores the experiences of Latinx youth engaged in culturally relevant dance-making practices. Her career as a dance educator, advocate, performer, and choreographer spans 28 years, having taught music, theatre, and dance in private and public sectors from preschool through college levels. As a Teaching Artist with Creative Action in Austin, TX, Parkins used Theatre of the Oppressed strategies to promote social change, then went on to direct the dance and drill team program at Manor High School. Her publication “Dance Media Collaborations: Engaging At-Risk Youth” details how her students used choreographic methods, technology, and social media to explore cultural identity and social issues.
As a Full-Time Lecturer in Dance at Middle Tennessee State University, Parkins helped initiate the first and only stand-alone dance major in the state. She co-directed a Maymester abroad program in the Guatemala highlands, where she mentored university students who performed and taught movement workshops at local K’iche and Kaqchikel elementary schools. She was also the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Dance, a core member of ArtsEd Tennessee, and Fine Arts Subject Matter Expert for the Tennessee Department of Education.
Parkins has performed with MADCO, Steamroller, Bibliodance, Forklift Dance Works, and in the film Bernie. She has choreographed and performed versions of her ongoing choreographic project, WanderlustDance, at the Millennium Forum in Northern Ireland, ZAWP and AZALA in the Basque region of Spain, and in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao. Her current project, the documentary WanderlustDance: Puerto Rico, invites audiences to look at the culture, politics, and people of post-Maria Puerto Rico through interviews set against footage of solo dance performances at some of the most picturesque and historical sites on the archipelago.
For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy, and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.
Follow Chell:
http://chelldance.weebly.com/
https://www.ballethispanico.org/
https://www.instagram.com/ballethispan
Ocu-Pasión Podcast, hosted by Delsy Sandoval, is a heartfelt interview series celebrating the diverse experiences of Latin American/Latinx artists and visionaries. Join us in exploring culture and creativity through meaningful conversations. If you'd like to support the podcast, please rate and review us here. For more information and to get in touch with Delsy, visit www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Connect with us on Instagram @ocupasionpodcast, join our Facebook Group here, and find all episodes on our website www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack newsletter at ocupasionpodcast.substack.com for updates and exclusive content. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Capítulo 041: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by doctoral fellow and program assistant Chell Parkins. Listen in as we discuss the experiences of Latin youth engaged in culturally relevant dance-making practices, her contribution to the nation's only doctoral program focused on educational research in dance, and her journey back to Puerto Rico.
Chell Parkins is a Doctoral Fellow and Program Assistant in the Dance Education Program at Teachers College, where her research explores the experiences of Latinx youth engaged in culturally relevant dance-making practices. Her career as a dance educator, advocate, performer, and choreographer spans 28 years, having taught music, theatre, and dance in private and public sectors from preschool through college levels. As a Teaching Artist with Creative Action in Austin, TX, Parkins used Theatre of the Oppressed strategies to promote social change, then went on to direct the dance and drill team program at Manor High School. Her publication “Dance Media Collaborations: Engaging At-Risk Youth” details how her students used choreographic methods, technology, and social media to explore cultural identity and social issues.
As a Full-Time Lecturer in Dance at Middle Tennessee State University, Parkins helped initiate the first and only stand-alone dance major in the state. She co-directed a Maymester abroad program in the Guatemala highlands, where she mentored university students who performed and taught movement workshops at local K’iche and Kaqchikel elementary schools. She was also the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Dance, a core member of ArtsEd Tennessee, and Fine Arts Subject Matter Expert for the Tennessee Department of Education.
Parkins has performed with MADCO, Steamroller, Bibliodance, Forklift Dance Works, and in the film Bernie. She has choreographed and performed versions of her ongoing choreographic project, WanderlustDance, at the Millennium Forum in Northern Ireland, ZAWP and AZALA in the Basque region of Spain, and in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao. Her current project, the documentary WanderlustDance: Puerto Rico, invites audiences to look at the culture, politics, and people of post-Maria Puerto Rico through interviews set against footage of solo dance performances at some of the most picturesque and historical sites on the archipelago.
For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy, and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.
Follow Chell:
http://chelldance.weebly.com/
https://www.ballethispanico.org/
https://www.instagram.com/ballethispan
Ocu-Pasión Podcast, hosted by Delsy Sandoval, is a heartfelt interview series celebrating the diverse experiences of Latin American/Latinx artists and visionaries. Join us in exploring culture and creativity through meaningful conversations. If you'd like to support the podcast, please rate and review us here. For more information and to get in touch with Delsy, visit www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Connect with us on Instagram @ocupasionpodcast, join our Facebook Group here, and find all episodes on our website www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack newsletter at ocupasionpodcast.substack.com for updates and exclusive content. Your support is greatly appreciated!
56 min