Dance professor Zakiya Atkinson sees dance as \u201ca transformative space,\u201d where people from different backgrounds can teach each other and themselves important concepts and lessons.<\/p>\n
Through her efforts at Cal State Long Beach, Renaissance High School for the Arts and at CSULB\u2019s Isabel Patterson Child Development Center<\/a>, the assistant professor in dance is pushing the boundaries of dance instruction, bringing the art form to young people who aren\u2019t typically exposed to dance at a high level.<\/p>\n Atkinson has created a contemporary dance collective, organized dance festivals, and has led arts programming and workshops throughout the country and internationally. In addition to teaching dance and dance pedagogy classes at The Beach, she coordinates the single subject credential program for dance<\/a> in the College of Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n Q: Why is dance important?<\/p>\n Zakiya Atkinson: Dance connects people to their bodies and cultivates embodied awareness. It\u2019s a space that taps into students\u2019 social and emotional competencies. It\u2019s a space where obviously we\u2019re putting up a performance, with costume and lighting. But in its bare essence, it\u2019s really a space for embodied learning.<\/p>\n Zakiya Atkinson, center, leads CSULB students in a dance credential course.<\/p>\n Q: What do your dance pedagogy students learn when they are teaching dance?<\/p>\n ZA: They learn how to follow a lesson plan, connect with their students and differentiate instruction as needed. They learn the historical context of the dance forms. They gain an understanding of how to create learning objectives that are measurable.<\/p>\n Q: What do the Renaissance High School students learn when they are engaging with your students?<\/p>\n ZA: The RHS students were able to experience a variety of dance forms and styles throughout the workshop series. Because the sessions were open to students with a wide range of experience, the pedagogy students began each lesson with a brief overview of the history of the dance form or style they were teaching. Some lessons focused on exploring themes and creating original movement phrases, while others guided students in learning technique and choreography in a specific style. The workshops also gave the RHS students a glimpse of what college dance learning experiences could look like.<\/p>\n Q: Tell us about your dance research.<\/p>\n ZA: I am conducting a multidisciplinary research project with my colleague, Min Gu (Department of Liberal Studies<\/a>), titled \u201cInvestigating Inclusive Arts Practices: A Global Exploration of Arts, Race, and Disability,\u201d which is supported by a\u202f2024\u20132025 ORED Multidisciplinary Research Grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n