Flying Squirrels and Haunted Museums

WCA Marketing and Communications GA Jessica has a report from the front lines of our Wexner Center Summer Youth Workshops:

Teaching a Summer Youth Workshop this year was hands-down one of the most inspiring and enjoyable experiences I have had as a teacher. Totally interested kids (who were super creative and fun to work with), 2 assistants in the room at all times (yes I said 2!), 16 students, an abundance of OSU and Wexner Center resources available, and an extremely supportive staff.....what more could you really ask for as a teacher?

The concept of my workshop, "Dance Stories," was for the 6-7 year old participants to work together in groups, create a story, record it (with their own live sound effects), create movement to it, and then perform it all on Friday! The students amazed me--we had creaking, old, squeeky doors; flying squirrels; the Jaws theme ("danuuum, danuuum, danuum, danum - danum - danum - danum..."); haunted museums; forests full of baby bee bee birds; and sharks killed with lasers. The group wrote the bare bones of a story together and each group of four children was asked to create a conflict and resolution.

Many of the parents and students truly appreciated the project because it was so different from any one single activity that they had been involved in before and really- thats what made it so exciting as a teacher as well. I don't believe that I could exactly replicate the workshop because there were so many resources available that I wouldn't have access to outside of the Wexner Center and Ohio State. I finished the week feeling extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity and hope to create a new adventure next year.....

Jess Beshore
Graduate Assistant
Wexner Center for the Arts
OSU Department of Dance graduate student