Ezra Myles
Jun 24, 2021
Reimagining Cultural Arts and Dance Education in a Post-COVID World
Published by In Dance Magazine
On Tuesday, March 16th, 2020, Governor Newsom announced that a shelter-in-place order would go into effect across the State of California. Initially, I went into quarantine secretly optimistic. Running from late-night performance gigs to school sites to weekend events was already taking its toll on my health, so I saw the SIP as an opportunity to take much-needed (and deserved) time to rest, reflect, and plan. Before the start of the pandemic, I worked in Richmond as a cultural arts educator, event production manager, and program administrator for East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. I coordinated after-school enrichment programs and taught Afro-Diasporic dances like Samba and Hip-Hop to African-American youth in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.