CMCArts Wraps Artist in Residency With Dance Showcase Featuring J.H. Woodson Jr. High Students

The Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts wrapped up its artist-in-residence program with Rodney Lopez, culminating in a closing reception featuring students from J.H. Woodson Jr. High School. The event took place Friday, March 28, in the CMCArts courtyard, where students showcased a variety of social dances they had learned during the program.

As part of his residency, Lopez collaborated with Katie Zaytoun and the VI Social Dance Collaborative, a project funded in part by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the course of two weeks, students engaged in learning social dances from various cultures, including merengue, foxtrot, waltz, tango, quadrille, swing, and salsa.

Zaytoun explained that this was the second year the VI Council on the Arts awarded the grant for the program, called “The V.I. Social Dance Collaborative.” The initiative stemmed from another program, Dancing Classrooms, through which Lopez and Zaytoun initially met in New York City.

Two eighth-grade classes at the John H. Woodson Jr. High School, totaling approximately 45 to 50 students, participated in the program under the guidance of social studies teacher Tisha Samuel. Students practiced twice a week, gradually overcoming initial hesitation.