UCLA student teaches high schoolers hip-hop to connect with culture
Defined by a dynamic blend of theory and practice, World Arts and Cultures/Dance (WACD) is led by a interdisciplinary faculty of scholars, activists, curators, filmmakers, and choreographers dedicated to critical cross-cultural analysis and art-making. WACD draws upon multiple disciplines and artistic approaches while encouraging students to position their work within broad social contexts. Sandra Parra, a fourth-year dance student, researches how hip-hop education helps Latino students at her local high school identify with their ethnicity.
Sandra Parra said UCLA’s hip-hop community gave her a sense of belonging and power when she moved to Los Angeles as a freshman.
Because hip-hop dance helped her identify with her culture during her first few months at UCLA, Parra, a fourth-year dance student, decided to help other students do the same in high school.
Parra, one of five students selected to be in UCLA’s Astin Scholars Program for research in civic engagement, is working with her high school dance program to research how hip-hop dance education helps Latino high school students identify with their ethnicity.
Parra presented her research project with four other scholars Monday evening at Collins Alumni Conference Room at UCLA.
“Hip-hop represents a free expression of oneself,” Parra said. “I want to guide these young Latino students to learn what culture means to them, to their family and to their community (through hip-hop).”
Parra created a curriculum for high school students in Godinez Fundamental High School in Santa Ana, California, where she graduated from. — Xinchen Li, May 24, 2016
Read the full article at the Daily Bruin website.