Artistic Expression - Transformative Growth

FLEX DANCE PROGRAM ARTISTIC EXPRESSION - TRANSFORMATIVE GROWTH

www.FLEXDANCEPROGRAM.COM @FLEXDANCEPROGRAM @FLEXINFLEXOUT Flex Dance Program — FlexIN FlexOUT Mission statement: Expanding Minds THROUGH FLEX DANCE AND CREATIVE MENTORSHIP

The Flex Program is an arts education initiative that fosters positive growth among young people in difficult circumstances through mindful movement, creative storytelling, and improvisational dance.

Flex is a unique form of dance that originated on the streets of Brooklyn. The Flex Program employs renowned dancers from local communities to develop dance routines with our students, promoting self-esteem, cooperation, and communication. We seek to transform physical energy into positive, non-verbal self-expression that offers an alternative to conflict. The problem CUT IN ART PROGRAMS NO CULTURAL PLAN IN NYC

ARTISTS WORK FOR FREE, UNEMPLOYMENT RATE ARTISTS BEHAVIORAL ISSUES DETENTION CENTERS

RECIDIVISM

Every year approximately 500,000 youth are brought to juvenile detention centers.

Studies show that 70% of detained youth are being held for non-violent offenses. Other studies show that 70% of youth held in secure detention were arrested or returned to secure detention within one year of release. Marked Analysis: PEST and SWOT analysis:

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

FLEX DANCE - STREET DANCE

CREATIVE MENTORSHIP The solution CREDIBLE MESSENGERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ARTISTIC MANAGEMENT Model Transformative change through arts education and professional development

Arts Education: Flex dance : free-form creative self expression harnessing the body as medium for improvisational storytelling. Mastering intricate movements and developing visual narratives from lived experiences and active imagination. Transformative growth - physical activity, self exploration and group interaction. Professional Development: Learning vocabulary and techniques of Flex Dance - cultivating personal style to market and build career as dancers and teaching artists.

Transformative Change:

Channeling healing and restorative properties of mindful movement associated with Yoga and other homeopathic traditions to foster personal growth among youth in marginalized communities of color. Flex Dance - as cultural phenomenon to strengthen community ties and empower pioneers as economic agents in its evolution from native to contemporary studio dance. Diagram:

Creative Management ------} Arts Education ------} Professional Development Artists Students Artists

Students Teaching Artist 1. Dance Workshops 1. Dance Workshops

2. Mentorship 2. Mentorship

3. Career Development 3. Career Development

Community 1. Dance workshops

2. Mentorship

3. Community Development FlexIN:

Since August of 2014 we have provided FlexIN-dance sessions for kids in detention centers and group home facilities around NYC. The artists have been giving back by volunteering their time teaching, mentoring and inspiring young individuals to dance. Throughout the years students have asked where they can go for sessions when they come out, as they want to continue to learn and be a part of a positive and creative community. FlexOUT:

FlexOUT is an initiative that will create this support for the kids. The main idea of these workshops is to unite artists and youth through collaborative and creative workshops on a weekly basis. These inclusive workshops aim to recruit previous residents of detention centers as well as kids from public schools in the community. Through the workshops we help foster the rebuilding of relationships. We feel it is important to introduce an outside-option to the young students we work with on the inside. We believe that in an inclusive and creative community based setting, the students can find a secure base in order to create and express themselves. The Flex Program provides sessions where the storytelling brain is activated through movement and freestyle performance. Many adolescents are dealing with challenges in expressing themselves. Through our movement and freestyle sessions, we aim to introduce the youth to various ways of communicating individual stories, and transforming emotional material that might be challenging to express verbally. We want to open the potential pathways to resilience for these young students through dance, movement and creative mentorship. The FLEX Dance Program Background:

We founded the Flex Program to bring more awareness to Flex dancing and its psychological benefits, especially for the at-risk population, and to pass along the knowledge from Flex veterans to the next generation of dancers, thus keeping Flex alive on the streets of Brooklyn. To meet these goals, the program currently holds weekly studio sessions instructing youth in Horizon, Crossroads Juvenile Detention Centers, and Sheltering Arms Group Home in the basic premise and movements of Flex, as well as providing the students with supportive motivational testimony from the dance instructors themselves. The FLEX program calls on the talents of a diverse team of professional artists who split their time between instructing and performing. The artists are instrumental in our mentoring sessions, and are the main focal point of the organization, attracting awareness at performances and providing stability during teaching sessions.

RAGNHILD RAGZ JERMAINE FLIZZO BRULAND MICHAEL ARYEE RANSFORD JEEZY ODOI CLEMENT FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PROGRAM MANAGER HEAD TEACHER HEAD TEACHER

See our entire team AND BIOS here: https://flexdanceprogram.com/team/ Also of note are the instances in which the performance and youth aspects of the FLEX Dance Program melt together, like in the Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Block Parties.

Events like these provide the perfect platform to bring awareness and popularity to Flex dancing, while also giving youth the chance to engage with the dancers and learn respect for the art of Flexing. Ultimately, through all current and planned teaching sessions and performances, the FLEX Program aims to popularize Flex dancing among youth and the residents of Brooklyn in the hopes of passing along a legacy of dance that engages those it reaches in safe and constructive habits and positive psychosocial behavior. Flexing is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by rhythmic movement touching on nine main formats‚ bonebeaking, waving, illusions/punchlines/animation, hat tricks, connecting, pausing, gliding, get low and bruk up. Flexing is an art form characterized as a type of

concert dance, social dance, and participation dance. The Bruk Up style originated in Jamaica by a young man named George Adams, the dance style reached New York City in the early 90s. Mixing with 90s Hip Hop and Rock and Roll in Brooklyn Bruk Up evolved into Flexing.

Development of this style solely belongs to a showcase of Brooklyn, New York named Flex N Brooklyn, which united and cultivated the youth of the streets through this art form.

The name Flex comes from a Cable's Brooklyn Public Access Channel (BCAT 68) called Flex “N” Brooklyn (first aired in 1992) founded by Sandra and Rocky Cummings. A show that was designed to give talented kids an opportunity to showcase their skills, and connect with others in the community.

Flexing is distinguished by its contortionist body movements, and its “no-rules”, narrative story-telling capabilities. Because of the reactive nature of Flex, the dancer is often inspired by his immediate environment and is free to tell his or her own story, making for a very emotional performance. At its core, Flex is a deeply personal art form, and has been shown to help the individuals cope psychologically with his or her circumstances. The element of animation in the flex dance links this style to dramatic performance. Often the animation is related to weapons and violence. However, the animation is not promoting violence. Rather the expression in the dance is avoiding and transforming violence as it builds on team work and artistic expression. The weapon and violence aspect is related to the life style that is lived and the environment many individuals are familiar with. The idea is that you cannot build new habits without acknowledging old habits. In flex dance you connect the animation to life style and environment, and through the movement, the youth learn more positive, non-violent ways of expressing themselves. FLEX is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary, which continuously grows. It is performed with the accompaniment of music from all genres and has been influential as a form of dance globally. Flexing is taught all around the world, because of this new vocabulary is created constantly due to influence of cultures and societies.

It is a style of dance that truly possesses the foundational techniques for many other dance forms and unlocks true potential of the user’s body and mind. This genre of dance is very difficult to master and requires much practice. Testimonials “The Student had a very hard time in court, and is dealing with a very complicated case. He said that the only thing that helped him deal with the negativity was the Flex Program sessions” – Miss Yshanda Springer (Director of Programs Crossroads Juvenile Detention Center)

“The program helped me with my dancing skills and my coping skills. And it also reminds me that I’m multi-talented” – Student Crossroads “What I liked about the program is being able to just be free and dance” – Student Crossroads “I like the music in the program, and working with other residents. I would attend an outside program” – Student Crossroads “I have never seen my grandson dance like that before. It made me very proud” -Grandmother at Family Day Event.

“The flex program should come more often”- Student Crossroads

Project Outcomes:

-Create opportunities for creative expression, empowerment, and growth through dance and mentorship. -Enrich the cultural life of the dance community, while supporting Flex artists in their professional development. -Give diverse voices platform for expression. -Changing the norms about violence through art and performance -Occupying/using public spaces in the name of art -Using dance and art as a tool for self-expression, conflict resolution, and pro-social development. -Provide inclusive free flex-art-workshops for kids and youth. SEE MORE PHOTOS, AND VIDEOJOURNALS ON OUR WEBSITE: https://flexdanceprogram.com/gallery/ https://flexdanceprogram.com/journal/

- OUR SUPPORTERS: Curriculum Appendix Support Letters Program Docs

Curriculum

www.flexdanceprogram.com

This manual will present the current main content of the Curriculum for the Flex Program. The majority of our Lesson Plans is drawn from this curriculum.

The Flex Program Curriculum covers the basics of Flexing from past to current including:

Dancehall

Bruk-Up

Flexing

The Flex Program also includes other styles taught by guest teachers in:

Hip Hop

African Dance

Lyrical Street Jazz and Movement

Ballet

Tap

Latin Dance, Salsa

Freestyle Development

*See Lesson Plans and Session Reports for full review of what we cover each semester. DANCEHALL:

REAL NAME (GERALD LEVY) A.K.A MR.WACKY B.K.A. FATHER BOGLE IS ONE OF THE ORIGINATORS OF DANCEHALL.HE HAS BLESSED THE CULTURE WITH SO MANY DANCES MADE FROM HIM. HE INSPIRED DANCERS ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH WHAT HE CALLS BACK TO BASICS. MAJORITY OF FLEX DANCERS COMES FROM DANCEHALL. DANCEHALL THEN EVOLVED TO BRUK UP THEN ADVANCED TO THE STYLE WE KNOW TODAY AS FLEXING.

BOGLE DANCE

WORLD DANCE

PEPPERSEED

POP YA COLLAR

ZIP IT UP

JERRY SPRINGER

SESAME STREET

ROW DI BOAT

OUT AND BAD

SWEEPER

STUCKIE

WILLIE BOUNCE

WACKY DIP BRUK UP:

BRUK UP AKA MR.EXCITMENT DELIVERED HIS STYLE IN THE MID 90’s (FROM JAMAICA) AND EVER SINCE HE HAS INPACTED THE DANCE COMMUNITY IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY. THE BRUK UP CONSISTS OF THE POPPING OF THE SHOULDER WHICH BRUK UP HIM SELF CREATED. THE STYLE IS LIKE NO OTHER AND IS HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON CHARACTER AND INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION. IT LATER ARRIVED IN NEW YORK AND BECAME A PHENOMINOM. IT IS STILL USED TODAY BY DANCERS AND IS BEING USED FOR SHOWCASES AND OR DANCE BATTLES. TODAY THERE IS A DANCE TEAM NAMED BSV (BEDSTUY VETERANS) FROM NEW YORK WHO HAS TAKEN THE DANCESTYLE TO ADVANCED LEVELS.

STANCE

4 CORNERS

IMAGINATION

MATRIX SWAY SHOULDER POPPING

ORIGINALITY FLEX:

Flexing is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by rhythmic movement touching on nine main formats‚ bonebeaking, waving, illusions/punchlines, hat dancing, connecting, pausing, gliding, get low and bruk up. Flexing is an art form characterized as a type of concert dance, social dance, and participation dance. The Bruk Up style originated in Jamaica by a young man named George Adams, the dance style reached New York City in the early 90s. Mixing with 90s Hip Hop and Rock and Roll in Brooklyn Bruk Up evolved into Flexing.

Development of this style solely belongs to a showcase of Brooklyn, New York named Flex N Brooklyn, which united and cultivated the youth of the streets through this art form.

It is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary, which continuously grows. It is performed with the accompaniment of music from all genres and has been influential as a form of dance globally. Flexing is taught all around the world, because of this new vocabulary is created constantly due to influence of cultures and societies.

The element of animation in the flex dance links this style to dramatic performance. Often the animation is related to weapons and violence. However, the animation is not promoting violence. Rather the expression in the dance is avoiding and transforming violence as it builds on team work and artistic expression. The weapon and violence aspect is related to the life style that is lived and the environment many individuals are familiar with. The idea is that you cannot build new habits without acknowledging old habits. In flex dance you connect the animation to life style and environment, and through the movement, the youth learn more positive, non-violent ways of expressing themselves.

MATRIX SWAY TUTTING

WAVING BONEBREAKING

ISOLATIONS CONNECTING HAT-TRICKS

TRANSFORMERS/ANIMAL IMAGINATION PAUSING PUNCHLINES/ILLUSIONS

AIR WALK/SLIDING/GLIDING GET LOW TOPIC ACTIVITY SUMMARY:

More Activities and Exercises:

Collaborative Exercise: Mirror exercise without talking, communicating with eyecontact. Person 1, Person 2, switch in taking the lead. Then to advance both lead and follow at the same time. Listening to the music. Work on Musicality. Goals: Collaboration, Concentration, and respect for eachothers creativity.

Collaborative Exercise: Egg and Straw. Group work: Task: To wrap the staw around the egg and drop it to the ground. If the egg does not break: Success. Goal: Problem Solving.

Role Plays: Listening Exercise in connection with dance and movement. Playing out scene: Ex. Student not listening to teacher in class. Students are coming with suggestions for place and scene. Ex. Students talking at the same time.

Concentration task: Throwing the ball (Key- You have to remember who you pass it to and who you receive it from, Commando shop commando flat, drumroll- Can be done with bigger movements.

Improv- TheatreSports games- Add dance: Action Cards: e.g., Waking up, Sports, More complex: Scenario- your mom just told you to clean your room.

Sitting, Standing Lying – Dance Version

Team-Building: Everybody writes a compliment of each person in class. Teacher read the best ones in the next class. The Bomb Box- Feedback in class.

Work on your own dance and expression: Everybody is given 30-40 minutes each to make a short combination to a song of their choice. Purpose: Collaboration, Concentration, Creativity.

Dilemma Exercises: Different dilemmas from easy to complex. Students have to choose whether they Agree, Disagree or It Depends.

Quotes and Themes of classes: Start with a quote or theme discuss in group before dancing. Implement theme or quote in the movement. Examples: If you knew you could’t fail what would you do. Sharing Circle: How do you experience Dance. What does it give you. Your story in dance. What are you proud of? Breaking out of comfort zones

Team work: Suggestions on how to respect each other and your self. Techniques, skills? What is respect? Can you think of a time you showed Respect?

Flex Program Inspirational Quotes to use in Class:

“Experience without theory is blind/but the theory without experience is mere intellectual play” Immanuel Kant

All your knowledge begins with experience.

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others”

“Just when you think you’ve graduated from the school of experience, someone thinks p a new course” M.H.Waldrip

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off your souls”

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep”

«Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching” Paige

“ Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance- Alan Watts

“Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people “ Alvin Ailey.

Sincerity how people relate to eachother. Listening to eachother. Curiousity

“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”

― Jiddu Krishnamurti

Friedrich Nietzsche – The Dancing Philosopher:

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”