Free class gets wildfire weary dancing to the same beat: healing
Debbie Allen’s gotta dance. And she’s pulling the wildfire weary on to the stage with her.
“The L.A. wildfires have burned more than houses, generational history, legacy works and irreplaceable keepsakes,” the award-winning director, choreographer, author, dancer and actor said. “It burned so many dreams and hopes for the future. Out of the ashes, we have come together as a community that knows no ethnic, economic or religious borders. We are all trying to find a way to move forward.”
Allen, founder of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, is gathering world-class choreographers and academy master teachers to provide free community dance classes for fire impacted children and families from the Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena, plus all who want to gather as a community and use movement to foster connection, self-expression and collective healing.
The next class for “Dancing in the Light: Healing Through Arts” is set from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at the Hutto Patterson gym at Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Lyrik Cruz will lead a class on social salsa; Laurieann Gibson, who has choreographed for Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Michael Jackson, will get down to hip hop; and Brandon O’Neal of “Lalaland” fame will jazz up the last class.
Best of all for two-left-feetsies like me, no dance experience is not required. All levels are welcome from children to adults, beginners to experienced movers.
Lynnelle Bryant brought her sister and 78-year-old mother to the Santa Monica class. Bryant and her husband, owners of the architectural firm Masbuild Inc. in Pasadena, lost their Altadena home of 23 years in the Eaton Fire.
“I thought the name, ‘Healing Through the Arts,’ was so thoughtful,” Bryant said. “It seemed designed for what we needed and I’m more than I glad we went. You just jump in where you want to and it was a lot of fun.”
Bryant reports the first class was African dance, which was fun but exhausting. Contemporary lyrical went way over her head (figuratively speaking) and by the time the class took on hip hop, “I was tapped out. But we had such a good time, so we’ll sign up again. And you know what? I slept so solidly the next day. We were exhausted but also uplifted. It was so free spirited.
The program started on Jan. 26 and will run through May.
The purpose of the series is for Angelenos to come together as a community and take a breath, relieve stress, said program spokesperson Teri Bond.
“Dance is a transformative art form that can help one process emotion, provide physical activity, and come together as a community through movement and music,” said Dr. Lawrence D. Piro, an oncologist who partners with the dance academy on wellness.
Rob Bailis, artistic and executive director of BroadStage in Santa Monica, spent last Sunday afternoon laughing as much as dancing.
“‘Dancing in the Light’ at BroadStage was a beautiful gathering for our friends and neighbors to express themselves through movement and release some of the intense strain of fire recovery for a few hours,” Bailis said. “It was a pleasure to partner with Debbie Allen and her incredible team of professional dance instructors.”
The Debbie Allen Dance Academy is a nonprofit committed to expanding the reach of dance and performing arts. Its mission includes furthering the art of dance, especially among the disenfranchised Black and Latino communities.
“This is what I know…dance is a transformative art that brings people together, bonds spirits with movement and music and helps us heal,” Allen said.
Register for the Pasadena dance class at debbieallendanceacademy.com.