Camp Drillz: Dance Edition Draws Out Confidence, Creativity & Exuberance in Youth Ages 12-13

In a 6-minute performance learned over the course of 7 days, campers creatively told the story of a class of 6th graders finishing school, enjoying summer, and entering into that tumultuous moment of change at the start of a new year - 7th grade.

As we make consideration for the current technological age, G.O.D. Int’l has made intentional decisions about the types of programming that we offer for kids. We consider it a privilege and responsibility to introduce children to forms of storytelling, communication, and creativity that sit outside the screen. We want to ensure that our kids don’t spend their summers only engaging the world through short-form video, or only talking to their friends via text. There is a spiritual, physical and emotional health associated with in-person, creative, active and social exercise that must be intentionally cultivated. It’s a value we see upheld in scripture (Hebrews 10:23-25). This has been especially difficult to maintain amidst a global pandemic.

Thankfully, Camp Drillz: Dance Edition for kids ages 12-13, was able to offer one such experience through a camp facilitated by Nashville-based theatre and dance professional Mallory Mundy, who taught campers both hip-hop and dance for musical theatre. We asked Mallory a few questions reflecting on the summer’s programming. She shared with us her observations on the benefits of such an experience and the response she saw from her students in a span of just 7 days!

Mallory, what is your observation about the benefit of a camp like this to kids ages 12-13 specifically?

Campers enjoyed not just the opportunity to work on technique and learn new choreography, but had exercises prepared for them each day that put into practice their communication skills.

“There are so many… but I think my favorite benefit is the opportunity to gain such a great deal of knowledge about a concentrated skill with very little pressure. There’s no testing, no big recital/production at the end. Yes, we do perform at the end of our time together because that’s part of the skill they are learning (and exciting to show off their hard work), but it’s simply for them to continue gaining experience in the field of concentration. We have the freedom to focus a lot more on just the joy of dance/theatre, the confidence of knowing more about dance/theatre, and having a ridiculous amount of fun while doing so.”

Did you see a marked difference in the kids over the course of the time with them? If so, describe that a little bit.

“Goodness, yes! We went from day one, when hearts were heavy, minds immersed in deep thought, and bodies extremely timid… to day 7, when voices were energized, hearts were so much lighter, minds were freer, and characters and movements were much bigger and expressive! It was an honor to watch these young, beautiful souls engage in dance in a way that they likely never had before our two weeks together.”

What would you say was the top challenge you contended with, and how was it overcome?

“Ah, this question is especially loaded for this particular camp. These young people were freshly suffering an incredibly, heartbreaking loss. The fact that they even chose to show up was an absolute inspiration. Some might say that working through that amidst camp was the greatest challenge. And it definitely was a challenge…

Students came alive under the opportunity to express themselves BIG, as communicating from the stage requires larger than life personalities! For some this was more of a challenge than for others, but all grew to a new stage of effective communication.

Technically, though, we were faced with the challenge of culture in time. We live in a day and age filled with screens. TV, Film, Social Media, Video Communication. The rising generation’s main exposure to performance is in a very screen/camera-based medium. I am a film actress and love working on camera! Nonetheless, there is a vast difference between stage performance and camera performance. Everything is much, much more muted on camera because it is focused in, it's close-up. On stage, everything has to be seen from (sometimes) hundreds of feet away. Expression has to be bold, emotion has to be felt, movement has to be huge. This was clearly a pretty foreign concept for them to produce. We played a lot of theatre games. I chose activities and games that required them to move and speak and create expression outside of their comfort zones. Things as silly as specifically characterized vegetables, to 1960s Cheerleaders. Or we moved across the floor like animals. We also did some very technical exercises (working with the Meisner methods) to bring them out of their shells. They were totally up for the challenge. They were awesome.”

Do you find that there are any generational challenges that learning dance will help these kids overcome?

“Oh man. Yes. Social Media has provided us with a brand new avenue for comparison, seeking validation, longing. When taught as a spiritual art form, dance can help one to understand his/her body in a very spiritual way. It can help us to understand that our bodies are instruments, uniquely made for each of our own stories, to allow us to worship in the freest form, to invite others into that freedom of worship, and appreciate all that they do.”

What would you say was the biggest success achieved in the course of Camp Drillz: Dance Edition?

“I got to witness this strong group of human beings take on a new style of performance that they had probably never even thought to explore before! I watched so many of them find an honest joy in the fun of musical theatre, find confidence by realizing their ability to express themselves in a new fashion, and to watch all of them work as a solid unit to help create a truly wonderful performance filled with creativity, personal discovery, challenges, victory, acting, and multiple styles of performance art. They were amazing!”

Thank you Mallory for bringing your expertise to facilitate such a great opportunity for these kids! Check out the Center Street Dance Academy Instagram to view their end-of-camp performance.

Creativity extended even to costuming. Students decided on the theme of dress, operated within a budget and on a tight timeline, using limited supplies to create costuming that furthered the story, yet had a unifying effect. They approached this challenge with joy and excitement!