Energetic young dancers illuminate the stage with colorful outfits and entertain with a combination of fluid movements, cartwheels, leaps, bounces and swirls.

With the help of Dr. Albirda Rose's current and former dance students, and her four year experience with the New Moves dance program for child performers, the young bunch will have the chance to debut their moves to the grooves of salsa, Haitian, R&B, rock-and-roll, Irish, gospel and hip-hop jams on Nov. 20.

The children in this after school program are introduced to dance by the 15 choreographers who drive to their destinations in this after school program are from the Visitacion Valley area, Daly City and other local elementary schools and community centers. The Visitacion Valley Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club in Visitacion Valley and the St. Paul Tabernacle Baptist Church are to name a few places where the dancing takes place.

The SF State dance students, along with other dedicated volunteers who help with the show, make up the 15 choreographers that began making up the moves in October and have taught the children weekly in preparation for the concert.

Had it not been for the SF State choreographers, the New Moves Children's Concert at McKenna Hall on Nov. 20 may not even be taking place. But because these dance students want to make it a fun experience for the kids in the after school program, they dedicate their time to teach them just the right moves for the concert.

Because this is an after school program, the children there have the opportunity to do something; they can be exposed to different dances and cultures, said Jessica Lagedrost, a senior and dance major who assists the child performers at John MacLaren Elementary School in Visitacion Valley.

Since last year, Lagedrost, 24, has worked with children in the after school dance program. The first time she got the opportunity to do so was in Rose's course, Creative Dance for Children.

For this month's concert, the kids she teaches will be divided into two groups (kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth) for their performances.

According to Lagedrost, the younger group will be performing a salsa-type piece combined with creative free-styling. As for the older group, they will be dancing to Bonnie Devlin's “Ibo,” a rhythm dance from Haiti.

Both groups will end their set with a hip-hop performance with Missy Elliott’s “Back in the Day.”
The program began in 2000 when Rose, 57, professor of dance and director of the concert, applied for a SF State community service learning grant from the SF State Urban Institute.

It has been a SF State Community Service Learning Project since, and though it is a requirement for students seeking single subject credentials, Rose explained that most of them are eager to teach the young performers.

Though the project caters more toward students preparing for the credential program, “I have two freshmen helping out in this show, and they are dedicated in helping the children learn how to dance,” said the 33-year veteran professor.

“These are the kinds of things that kids will remember, so it’s important for them to do these types of performances with them, and to have other kids from the other communities come together to have fun,” Lagedrost said.

She explained that she enjoys working with the children in the dance program because it is a learning experience for herself and the child performers, as well as her strong feelings toward helping them create memories.

“It also helps them build their confidence and allow them to experience and, hopefully, teach them about discipline and different cultures.”