Bentley Post (Tango) is a reading specialist who has been teaching for the past 12 years. She has taught English to children in Korea, Japan, Peru, and Guatemala. She is currently working as a reading intervention teacher for Del Valle ISD. She loves to make learning fun by incorporating songs, music, poetry, and movement into her lessons. Tango is a big part of her life. She teaches Tango to students in the after school program at her school. She looks forward to sharing the joys of dance with kids at Esquina! Jay Whitley (Tango & Argentine Folk) is an avid tango dancer and an educator, with over 17 years of experience as a middle and high school teacher. He began his dance journey performing with a Filipino Folkloric Group for 5 years. Jay continues to study tango intensively as well as Salsa and Cuban Rueda. He is the sponsor/instructor of a middle school Salsa Rueda Club. Rebekah Fowler (Brazilian dances) has worked in dance studios, schools and community centers in the U.S. and the United Kingdom teaching samba and other Brazilian dance traditions to students of all ages. This will be her second year with the Summer "La Juventud" Camp. She is also a dance director and choreographer for the Austin Samba School. In addition to showing her students just how fun Brazilian dance can be, Rebekah works as a translator and interpreter (Spanish/Portuguese > English). Sara Moore (swing) In her home town in west Texas it was the custom when you turned 11 or 12 to learn how to do three basic dances at a dance studio -- jitterbug, waltz and a box step. Most of the guys at school were in the class, and they learned not only how to dance, but how to ask a girl to dance, offer her a cup of punch and politely return her to where she was sitting after they danced. Mothers made the dance dresses, and the girls had shoes died to match and wore stockings for the first time. The girls liked dancing with the boys, and the boys liked dancing with the girls. Jitterbug, or what we call swing now, was her favorite of the three dances. And once you learn it, it's like riding a bike. You never forget. She's excited to teach young people how to do something that has given her a lot of pleasure and that they can enjoy the rest of their lives.
Stephanie Keeton (Latin dances) has been studying dance for 26 years. She started with Ballet & Jazz and then entered Ballet Nacional Co. in Corpus Christi where she studied Flamenco, Folklorico, Contemporary, Ballet & Jazz. The ages of people she has taught, range from kids to adults. Her role in the Esquina Youth Program is to teach kids Latin Music, rhythm and Latin movements with a little bit of creative movement, ballet and jazz. The kids learn about the importance of warming up there bodies and muscles before they start dancing, how to dance together, remember new steps that they have learned and how to be attentive. It is also a great way for the kids to get more culture and to get more exercise! She is passionate about dance and loves teaching kids, that anyone can dance if they put there mind to it, work hard and practice. |
