#CAArtsChampion Ricka Kelsch

Art is at the center of every culture and community. We need art to express ourselves. To heal and find our way to the new normal. To have the courage to imagine what the new normal is takes a creative and open mind. And that is what the arts do for us. The arts are the glue, the DNA, that allows us to create a strong foundation with which to move forward together.

Ricka Glucksman Kelsch has taught dance in the Los Angeles for over 30 years. Most known for co-teaching the Musical Theater Workshop at UCLA, Creating and Directing the dance program at Notre Dame Academy High School, and teaching at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences where she was the middle school dance teacher and Middle School Dance Company Director. In the time Ricka was teaching she was trained in evidence based social skills and Autism Movement Therapy, which she did so she could address the needs of all of her students. It was through her teaching career where Ricka created Dance and Dialogue, a non-profit organization created to bring people together to address the fears that divide them. Founded on the principles of equity and equality for all, Dance and Dialogue has been recognized by the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles and the Violence Prevention Coalition of Los Angeles for community leadership and vision. Dance and Dialogue currently serves over 2,000 students grades 3-5 annually. Ricka also has a long list of choreography credits.

Dance and Dialogue was created to address the fears and breakdowns in human connection and understanding which is due to lack of cultural knowledge. Knowing that our differences are our greatest strengths, we believe that it is our differences that bring so much color, culture and vibrancy to our communities through food, art and the sharing of traditions. As a teacher my goals were clear. To have the maximum long term impact on as many students as possible. That meant addressing the thing that held them back from growing as individuals which included meaningful relationships with others. the results were astounding! As each student addressed their fears, their self esteem and confidence grew rapidly. They not only became stronger dancers at an accelerated rate, their grades improved as did their peer relations. It was after many years of teaching that I felt the time was ripe to bring teens together from all over the city to meet each other and see for themselves there is nothing to fear.

Not only do we work with students through our All-City Workshops, we also have in school residency programs that allow us to go deep with our students, teachers and staff who participate with us. We also offer parent support programs, which is the beginning of our greater reach for community impact. Students and families learn to listen to each other, and let each other know that they have value and that they matter. Just these simple acts alone can reduce anger, frustration and fears while giving way to joy and hope. Our students who participate in the All-City Workshops and Summer Leadership Intensives are tasked with finding ways to serve their local communities as well. They have done amazing things such as teaching free dance classes to younger students, performing in local retirement homes, and creating pieces to highlight important social justice issues which they share with their live audiences as well as social media. They are leaning to have a philanthropic spirit at a young age, which is so important. Using dance as an artistic outlet for expression and release of tension and frustration we begin to build community and work to create a ripple effect of joy and promise for the future, where so many have not dared to dream before.

The communities that we serve such as South L.A. are so vulnerable in this uncertain time. Many students we have are homeless and do not have access to the internet. So even if they are lucky enough to get a computer on loan from their school, they have no way to connect to online learning. We also see a greater number of students feeling fearful of the future and not sleeping or eating well. They are too young to be worrying this way....about so many things, which the COVID-19 situation only serves to amplify. Thankfully, Dance and Dialogue is online and ready to serve! We have just wrapped up some very successful classes online and look forward to continuing to serve in any capacity we are able to, as long as the funding is there.

With our joy based focus, we are able to leave judgment outside of the classroom. It takes many weeks of patience and showing up for students to feel safe and begin to take risks. We let each and every student in our room know that we are happy they are there with us, that we see them, and that they matter, even if they don’t share that day. It is by far my greatest joy to witness students begin to dare to dream, to dare to have hope again. To see these teens drop their hoodies, smile and engage with each other is the best feeling in the world. I think this is what sets us apart from the others. Week after week, providing this safe place to be and be heard is unique and so needed.

We are proudly supported by the California Arts Council! The impact of the support is plain and simple, if we did not receive funding we would not be able to serve nearly as many as we do. We are so grateful to them!