09/30/2020
Aloha from FACES. Check out the invite from our own "M."
MMHS Music Video Project:
I am calling all dancers of all ages from those who are pro, to those who are pro in their heart! 🙂 Please share this with anyone you think would be interested in participating!
As many of you know, I am the Orchestra Director at Maple Mountain High School. Every year, we film a music video with different themes. Our music video this year is called: “A 'Step' Towards Change”. In light of recent and ongoing events, the video features an orchestral version of the song Waving Through a Window from the broadway Dear Evan Hansen, and will include African-American inspired step dancing, and various other dance styles.
Our class has been learning and growing through making those emotional changes, and would like to invite members of our community to participate in our music video too!
If you'd like to participate and be in our music video, here are the instructions:
1-Learn the Step Dancing choreo through the video links below (you do not have to learn the entire thing) – OR, do your happy dance in whatever style you'd like. I'll take improv, your own choreo... anything!
2-Video record yourself preferably on some kind of road or pathway to indicate you are “taking a step towards change”. If you can't do this, no big deal! Just film it wherever you are able, and send it in! The video can also be any length of time, so even 10 seconds of happiness is great! 🙂
3-Send the video to me at, [email protected], by Thursday, October 8th, 2020.
Here are the video links if you want to learn the Stepping routine.
-Instructions: https://drive.google.com/.../1YHOJ4fsgN0tzSkNQNme.../view...
-Entire thing with Music (so you can see it in action):
https://drive.google.com/.../1bBT.../view...
If you'd like to read more on my reasons for this project... here is an excerpt from the letter I sent to my students when we first started. Otherwise, thank you for reading this entire thing, and please share!! 🙂 If you have any questions, you know where to find me!
“Earlier this spring, horrible racial events set-off harbored feelings of inequality and ignorance that have been festering for lifetimes. Violent and criminal activities currently sweep the country. Many of these actions may be in hopes to call attention to the social injustices that exist.
These happenings have caused me to reflect, memory after memory, of my own racist experiences. These thoughts were partnered with continual and disturbing news stories, and I realized I needed to explore my own development as a human being. Just like everyone else, I am not exempt from my own racial, religious, and gender biases. I acknowledge that I also stereotype, judge, and fall privy to prejudice thoughts and ignorant assumptions.
These past weeks have been full of soul-searching, self-reflecting, and heart-pondering. At the end of it all, I have finally realized that the issue is no longer just about racism. There have been many stories about how people have forgotten how to treat others kindly, respectfully, and with sensitivity. I am consistently surprised, even in our own surrounding communities, how people have let their pride and need for individuality surpass the idea of common courtesy and teamwork.
I would like to declare my own personal pledge to change. I pledge to become more sensitive to the diversity of students, acquaintances, and strangers that I come across. I pledge to keep an open mind to the opinions, feelings, and actions of those around me, and I hope that I remember to always stay kind, compassionate, and empathetic in my dealings with others.
These pledges will definitely not happen overnight. I need to start with small baby steps, and these steps will hopefully turn into leaps and bounds. I truly believe that the answer to all this, is to acknowledge one’s own biases, and even amongst those differences, practice love, kindness, compassion, and acceptance of all people.”
