Tapping Into Sources of Strength: West Valley’s Dance 101 Night

By Avi Vieira and Liz Martin
Glendale
Following a beat and moving to music can lead a person to find themselves and discover something in them that is completely new and positive. Through this, they can share with and inspire others. This week, West Valley one•n•ten was joined by our Sources of Strength (SOS) Dance Crew captain and fearless leader Robbie Fields. He discussed his journey of dance and spoke of the ways dance can be used to change lives for the better. Beginning with his own history, Robbie shared that he had been dancing since he was eight and never stopped. Having learned how to express thoughts, feelings, and desires through dance, Robbie also spoke about finding an inner strength that all youth could access and use as a prevention from substance use and abuse, violence, and suicide.

SOS Dance Crew provides a space for youth to inspire, empower and support each other, while telling a story through dance. Dance experience is not required to join SOS Dance Crew, and it is open to any one•n•ten youth who is interested in dancing. While Robbie does choreograph many of the performances, he stated that youth are encouraged to create their own performance pieces to further discover their own methods of expression. Over the course of the evening, West Valley youth asked many questions about dance as well as the topic of suicide and suicide prevention, reflecting on the importance of resources that offer support and encourage creativity and expression.

The evening closed with Robbie giving an impromptu dance demonstration to the group. He drew several volunteers to teach them a few moves, which immediately drew smiles from both participants and observers alike, proving that magic can happen when one dances like nobody is watching, even when people are.