Roxane Wallace-Patterson

Roxane Wallace-Patterson is active in the arts as a performer, teacher, dancer, and choreographer. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy with an Ethnic Studies minor from the University of California at Berkeley (1993). In addition to the VocalEssence WITNESS School Program, Roxane has been a member of Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater Company for the past ten years. She also teaches and provides dance instruction independently, currently at SPCPA and Zenon Dance Studio. Constantly engaged in her field, Roxane has worked with choreographers and directors of both regional and international acclaim. In 2004, she was named “Best Dancer” in the City Pages’ “Best of the Twin Cities.” In 2006, she wrote, choreographed, directed, and produced the original ensemble production “Evolution of a Soul Sista.” She received a 2007 Sage Award for Outstanding Performer in Dance and was honored to be a named a 2008 McKnight Fellow in Dance.

 Workshop Description

Students will work individually and collectively to create and perform original choreography inspired by and in response to sections of Hannibal Lokumbe’s In The Spirit of Being. As part of our creative process, we will identify and discuss themes that are addressed in the piece focusing in on those themes such as the gift of life, struggle, change, and peace that resonate with the students. We will then move to understanding, expressing, and experiencing how music and movement can not only influence, but also inspire and guide social action. We will discuss how the two art forms music and dance are themselves powerful tools that have the ability to create a sense of hope and positive change. My hope is that students will leave this experience empowered with new ways of viewing the popular music and dance of their generation, and with greater understanding and respect for that which came before. I hope also, that after these workshops, these young people might seek out and appreciate diversity in their own lives as well as in these art forms.

To Prepare Students

  • Read “Profile – Hannibal Lokumbe: Touching Lives Through Music and Education” on p. 66 of the WITNESS Teacher Resource Guide
  • Listen to the agreed upon selections from the WITNESS Companion CD

We will select two or more of the following activities found in the Resource Guide to be done with the students prior to the workshop:

  1. Struggling for Equality: Jim Crow Laws on p. 97

  2. Music of the Civil Rights Movement: Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” on p. 110

  3. Words of Change: Quotable Quotes on p. 116

  4. Creating a Peace Journey: Who, What, Where, When, How, Why? on p. 137

Please note:

We will be moving in these workshops so please remind your students to wear comfortable and appropriate clothing (including shoes in the case that our space is not suited for bare feet) and try to coordinate a space that will accommodate dance on the workshop days.