August 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 45

nies, Broadway, and film and television to
uplift and inspire our dance community. "
Filmmaking
For the Camacho Activity Center in
Austin, Texas, outdoor education and
nature-based programing are its usual
fare, but it has expanded its horizons
into filmmaking and photography. There
are filmmaking camps during winter and
spring break and several during the summer for students ages 5-18.
" Each week-long camp incorporates
filmmaking education, including writing, camera operation, sound, lighting,
acting, editing and more. Each camp
films an original story that is later showcased in our annual film festival in the
fall, " says Ryan Eaker, Camacho activity
supervisor. " In addition to these filmmaking camps, we lead nature photography outreach programs throughout
the school year to primarily underserved
populations, lower-income schools, recreation centers and community groups. "
Filmmaking and photography are popular with youth, and today's cellphone
technology has allowed students to take
high-quality images and video without the

added cost of expensive equipment. These
classes are extremely popular. For Eaker,
it is about staying current: " It's crucial to
stay on the forefront of the technological
front, and remain pioneering in the ways
that you teach and educate the public.
" Now it's about teaching those participants to look at the world around
them in a different way and expose the
art and beauty in the objects and environment that surround them, which they
honestly aren't noticing with their heads
buried in their phones, " says Eaker. " We
allow kids to take a handful of selfies to
get that out of the way and then focus
(so to speak) on getting physically close
to natural objects and playing with perspective and vantage points, lighting and
storytelling through photography. "
Theatre
For Hasandras, her latest challenge is expanding an already successful program in
a new direction. This is the second year of
the Totally Cool, Totally Art Theatre Camp.
This fast-paced theatre camp takes students ages 12-17 through the process of
creating a theatrical production.
Continued on page 43
Filmmaking and photography classes at the
Camacho Activity Center in Austin, Texas,
are offered during the summer and during
winter and spring break.

Photograph courtesy of Camacho Activity Center

The program runs more than 200 classes weekly from ballet to hip-hop to Bollywood, and many other classes in between.
It provides youth summer camps, advanced training camps, master classes, an
adult workshop, and a workshop specifically to increase the participation of boys.
" There is less interest in the traditional arts programing, such as ceramics
and crafts, and more interest in performance-based arts, including dance, singing and dramatic arts, " says Deputy Directors Kathy Ruiz and David Monroe.
A large part of the program's success is
the caliber of instructors it brings to the
program each year. World-class instructors and choreographers give the classes
a level of quality and professionalism not
typically seen in a city-run program. Beyond the number of classes it offers, this
program has successfully secured more
than 25,000 hours of volunteer support
on an annual basis. This volunteer support helps offset personnel costs and establish community support. Financially,
the San Diego Civic Dance program
holds its own - in 2016, the program
netted more than $300,000.
The program has received a multitude
of awards, including the 2017 nomination
for Bravo Award for Best Dance Concert,
2016 Bravo Award for Best Dance Concert, 2016 Presidential and Mayoral Volunteer Awards to two long-term volunteers, 2014 Bravo San Diego Award, and
the 2013 Presidential Volunteer Award
from Barack Obama, among others.
" The program is successful because
the staff and I are dedicated to its success, " says Andrea Feier, dance specialist. " Many of the staff have grown up in
this program and now teach for it out of
a love for both the program as well as a
passion for dance and the arts. " " Three
of my staff have been teaching for 38 or
more years, and most of the others have
been here 10-plus years. As a graduate of
The Juilliard School, I utilize my contacts
in the world of dance to bring in guest
artists from major modern dance compa-

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