Arts Education News

Visual and Performing Arts News Hub

 I sit in a coffee shop in Murrieta, not far from my home. At the next table is a gentleman with a computer and papers laid out. I initiate conversation to later learn that the person sitting next to me is dancer, popper & locker Quentin Robinson aka Special FX. Quentin is dancer, filmmaker, director, father, and Marine Corps Veteran originally from Fort Lauderdale, FL, now living in Menifee, CA. As a professional artist his credits include, producing and directing a short film for the Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning percussion group, Third Coast Percussion, founder of the non-profit organization Movements 4 Movements, and collaboration with companies such as Hasbro inc., Black Girls Rock 2022, and STARZ. 

At our first CREATE Residency Professional Development Day November 2024, Quentin and I led multiple-subject credential candidates focusing on arts integration in dance. I led a BrainDance, which moves through neuro-developmental patterns, while Quentin shared movement based in gesture and storytelling. On this day, Quentin reflected on the impact of one of his teachers during middle school. He explains that he and his friends, who still dance and create films to this day, lacked enthusiasm for studying other subjects, but they were thrilled at the opportunity to practice hip hop dance.   

When their teacher realized that Quentin and his friends anticipated recess or a class break so that they could dance, she utilized this as an incentive to help them thrive in other subjects. The classroom teacher created opportunities for them to practice dance during the school day under the conditions that they complete other school assignments first. Excited to have more dance time throughout their day, Quentin and his friends finished their class work eagerly. 

Stories like this are embedded within arts education. Growing up, I often used my creativity as a dancer and choreographer, to figure out ways I could utilize arts integration for assignments and extra credit projects. In 9th grade English, me and a friend wrote a pronoun song, and sang and performed choreography in our tap shoes. A favorite arts integration moment is when I read a poem about loss in candlelight for my Thanatology class, asking my peers to listen with their heads down on their desks. Integrating the arts into subject matter sticks, and helps students feel empowered and thrive. 

In “Evidence: A Report on the Impact of Dance Education In the K-12 Setting,” California students who participated in dance were shown to demonstrate more persistence and have higher grades than those involved in non-dance activities. Dance is also found to support learning of underserved populations including kinesthetic learners, special education students, and low-income learners (NDEO Dance Education Evidence Report). 

In addition to guest artist, Quentin Robinson, Center Artes supported local middle school students to take classes with professional hip hop dance artist and entrepreneur, Johnny Lopez aka Johnny 5. Johnny is a Mexican / Latino professional Turf Dancer and the founder of TURFinc, a San Francisco Bay Area based company that hopes to instill positive changes in the community through dance. TURFinc’s mission is to spread the original dance culture of TURF that was established in Oakland, California and to utilize it as a positive platform for dancers, the youth, and the overall community. Students at Hight Tech High Middle School were ecstatic to learn TURF and some of the street dance’s history. The dance and cheer teachers were extremely grateful for the guest artists’ expertise and cultural sharing with their classes. 

Johnny and Quentin are stellar examples of how the arts can lead to multiple career choices and pathways. The “All Out Turf & Poppin Hip Hop Cypher & Battle” project through CSUSM, brought to life the numerous skills studying dance cultivates. As artists, Johnny and Quentin teach hip hop to all levels. During their guest activities, they taught turf and popping to middle schoolers, undergraduates, and future multi-subject credentialed teachers. The hip hop artists are also business owners, company directors, and dance mentors in their communities. Additionally, these artists are professional dancers. Quentin directs and produces film and performs for high caliber events. Johnny dances and performs globally and is sponsored by corporations such as Red Bull and Jordan. This year, TURFinc is hosting World of Dance. Both artists are excellent examples of how embedding the arts in education and community spaces produces positive and lucrative careers. Their stories are examples out of numerous others on how the arts set students up for success.