Heather Burns Chappell
525 W. Symmes
Norman, OK 73069
E-mail: heathergburns@yahoo.com
Discipline:
Dance: Afro-Cuban
Participants:
Childhood, Adolescents, Youth at Risk, Adults and Older Adults
Sites:
Schools: Elementary, Middle, High, and Alternative Ed
Community Sites: Art Centers, Libraries, Senior Centers, Parks & Recreation Centers
Availability:
Year-round, Statewide
Language Fluency:
Spanish
Bio
Heather Burns Chappell is a professional dancer and choreographer specializing in Afro-Cuban dance. She has studied and performed with many outstanding Cuban artists and musicians including Cutumba Ballet Folklorico in Santiago de Cuba. Chappell attended Duke University on a performing arts scholarship. After completing a master’s degree at the University of Washington, she danced professionally in Los Angeles with Juan Calvo Flores’s Unity Arts and Stage of the Arts Productions. Her experience as an instructor includes work with at-risk youth, first generation U.S. teens, K-12, university students, and dance professionals in eight states and four countries. In her classes on Cuban music and dance, Chappell can introduce and model movements and rhythms including cha cha chaa, conga, danzon, mambo, orishas, palo, and rumba.
Arts Learning Goals:
- Distinguish the articulation of body parts and become familiar with the underlying principles of the movement.
- Recognize physical activity as a means of self expression and enjoyment.
- Perform rhythmic activities encompassing multicultural forms and physical movement.
- Gain exposure to and participate in a new and challenging multicultural activity without regard for cultural difference.
- Discuss the historical role of Afro-Cuban dance in the life of the population.
- Demonstrate, recognize, and be able to incorporate movements into short presentations of their own creation.