Seeking Residency & Workshop Teaching Artists for under-resourced teens and young adults

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is seeking teaching artists specifically in the following disciplines:

• Latin dance
• Hip hop dance

Teaching artists will lead workshops and residencies targeting historically under-resourced teens and young adults as part of a program called “The Cassin Promise”. Teaching artists must be passionate about working with youth and believe in the power of the arts to affect social change.

The purpose of this program is to partner with local organizations focused on under-resourced teens and young adults to provide access to arts opportunities for their constituents. Segerstrom Center believes that participating in the creative process is essential for all humans and builds critical life skills such as social and emotional development, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration, self-confidence, public speaking, reduction of stress and anxiety, and promoting physical and mental well-being, to name a few. This programming will be offered free of charge to support these organizations and the youth they serve reach their goals. Current partner organizations include the Orange County Department of Education’s ACCESS (Alternative and Correctional Community Educational Schools and Services) division, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, Casa Youth Shelter, OC Rescue Mission, Orangewood Family and Children Center, Orangewood Foundation, South Coast Community Services, Waymakers, and various youth shelters and nonprofits throughout the county serving high risk teens and young adults.

For the workshops and residencies below, teaching artists will receive the following:

• Teaching artists will be engaged as part-time independent contractors on an as needed basis for residencies and workshops as outlined below. There is no regular guarantee of work as it is dependent on the requests of outside organizations.
• Teaching artists will have access to paid professional development in working with diverse, underserved youth populations.
• Teaching artists will be paired with one other teaching artist for each workshop and residency.

Workshops, residencies and responsibilities are as follows:

DANCE WORKSHOP OR RESIDENCY

• Plan and implement program content in collaboration with Segerstrom Center staff, outside organization staff and partner teaching artist. Curriculum may be provided for this program or teaching artists may be asked to create curriculum as needed, depending on experience and expertise level.
• Teaching artists visit local organizations and instruct teens and young adults in their dance style, teaching them not only routines/dance numbers, but the building blocks of dance so that they may choreograph their own piece.
• Teaching artist should be able to cater their work to the interest and skill level of the participants.
• Residencies last a minimum of four, 1–2-hour sessions and may include a culminating presentation for peers, family, friends, and organization stakeholders.
  
  Qualifications:
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge, expertise, and passion for their art discipline
• Experience working as a Teaching Artist or Classroom Teacher, or teaching in a comparable environment (preferred)
• Experience working with diverse populations, including high need and high-risk youth and young adults (preferred)
• Strong classroom management skills while working with diverse students of varying degrees of experience levels and adaptable to a wide range of teaching conditions and learning styles.
• Exhibit a strong passion for teaching and a warm, respectful, and trustworthy rapport with students and other stakeholders.
• Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with external partners and stakeholders and represent Segerstrom Center in a professional manner.
• Excellent collaborative and communication skills; willing and able to team-teach with fellow Teaching Artists
• Must have own transportation to travel to and from organizations throughout Orange County
• Experience working with English language learners and ability to speak Spanish or other coming spoken language in our community is a plus
• Must pass a federal-level background check via live scan fingerprinting
• Must have ongoing availability on multiple weekdays

Compensation:

• $175/$200/$225/$250 per 45-minute/60-minute/90-minute/120-minute residency visit and culminating event
• $25 per hour for virtual professional development; $30 per hour for in person professional development

TO APPLY:

Interested candidates should email their teaching artist/artist resume and a short letter of interest to cassinpromise@scfta.org. In your letter, please indicate which of the following workshops/residencies you are interested in teaching:

• Latin dance
• Hip hop dance

Please note that we are currently not seeking teaching artists for this program in any other disciplines.

All candidates MUST be available for a teaching audition and professional development day on Thursday, November 6th.