Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Hansen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
For nearly a decade, Kern Dance Alliance (KDA) has been successful in elevating California’s Central Valley communities through cross-sector arts programs that teach educational endeavors like math and reading, assist with healthcare like improving life with dementia and aiding with disabilities, and increase quality of life like uplifting the marginalized. KDA is proud to have provided arts services to over 60,000 people, raised over $450,000 for the arts, and to be recognized in the region as an arts leader.
While all KDA programs have been meaningful, one of my favorite memories was in 2019 during our MemoryMOVES: DANCE + THERAPY program that provides dance/movement therapy services for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
For several weeks, I sat next to a gentleman in his 80s – wheelchair bound, low functioning, and a severe Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Encouraging him weekly to participate, we found he did not respond much to the first six weeks of the MemoryMOVES program.
During week seven, something magical happened! The dance/movement therapist was playing big band music that week, which included the rhythms of the famous Charleston that was created during the 1920s and danced regularly by World War II troops at USO events in the 1940s. On this particular day, something inspired this gentleman as he recalled his memories of the Charleston.
Gentleman: That’s the Charleston music.
Me: Correct! (with a big smile)
Gentleman: I danced the Charleston with my wife at our wedding and during the war.
Me: That’s amazing! What a beautiful memory. How long ago were you married?
Gentleman: Many, many years ago.
With a grin on his face, the gentleman proceeds to get out of his wheelchair and, with support, dance the Charleston (to the best of his abilities). The music ends and he sits back down.
Me: That was so much fun dancing with you! I loved hearing your story.
Gentleman: Yes, it was wonderful.
At that moment, the gentleman slowly rescinds back into the darkness of Alzheimers. But, for a fleeting moment, the cobwebs had been swept away and a moment of clarity was present.
Azheimer’s is a debilitating disease; however, MemoryMOVES made an impact in this man’s life on that day. Dance and movement have the ability to transcend lives in ways words can never explain. It was an honor to witness this moment – it still brings tears to my eyes everytime I tell this story.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
ABOUT ME:
A native of Bakersfield, Ca., I have devoted my life to the arts. Celebrating over 30 years in the performing arts industry, I have had the pleasure of experiencing a vast career. I hold a B.A. in Dance and Political Science from Mercyhurst University and an M.F.A. in Dance/Choreography from the University of Arizona. I have been a professional dancer, choreographer, dance educator, college professor, and currently an arts administrator.
I currently serve on the boards of the Kern Dance Alliance, the Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater Foundation, and the Arts & Humanities Executive Advisory Council at California State University, Bakersfield.
I am a member of several arts organizations including the National Dance Education Organization, California Dance Education Association, Californians for the Arts, Bakersfield Museum of Art and the Arts Council of Kern, as well as a supporter of the Bakersfield City Ballet, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, Kern County Museum, and Bakersfield Music Theater.
I consult with public and private schools in implementing arts education and connect for-profit and non-profit businesses with arts initiatives.
As a co-founder of the Kern Dance Alliance (KDA), a nonprofit advocacy organization promoting and supporting dance + the arts in Kern County, Ca, I have helped lead the organization to include a 17-member board of directors with two junior board members and one student intern.
KDA has provided dance-related opportunities to over 60,000 community members and has hosted 150+ dance programs and events. KDA uses dance to teach math and literacy, improve life with dementia, encourage respite from the difficult effects of cancer, aid with disabilities, inspire impoverished communities, and motivate dancers to dream big.
KDA impacts Kern County by utilizing dance to encourage learning, healthy living, understanding, and acceptance. KDA is an all-volunteer organization with an annual budget that continues to grow. The organization has raised over $450,000 for the arts and has been nominated for six Beautiful Bakersfield Awards. www.kerndance.org
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I have been humbled to be recognized by others for my achievements in using the arts to make my community a more culturally vibrant place to live.
– I was selected by the California Arts Council to adjudicate 2021 California arts and culture organization’s grant applications. I was responsible for reviewing/ranking applications and making recommendations for allocation of $6 million in funding.
– I was selected as the California Dance Education Association state representative at the 2016 California Arts Advocacy Day and I am a 2020 Beautiful Bakersfield Awards nominee in the Individual Humanitarian Category.
– I was recognized as one of Bakersfield’s “2015 People to Watch” and voted as one of Kern County’s “20 under 40” in 2021.
– I serve on California’s 2022 Creative Corp panel, assisting in creating the framework for a $60 million state grant supporting the arts.
I have been featured in the media with most recent mentions including:
– Kern County Family Magazine, June 2021- “Creativity, Discipline, & More: Andrea Hansen Explains Why Dance Is For Everyone “
– NBC/KGET- Channel 17, May 12, 2021 “Art advocate joins grants review panel to help organizations recover from COVID-19 pandemic”
– ABC/KBAK – Channel 23, March 27, 2021 “New York City Ballet’s Peck and Roman Mejia performed a special performance of Swan Lake Act II Pas De Deux. After the performance, Peck and Mejia answered a few questions moderated by Kern Dance Alliance President Andrea Hansen.”
HOW I GOT MY START:
A dance studio opened next door to my family home in Old Town Bakersfield when I was seven years old. I still remember my first class. The teacher, Ms. Ashby, taught us“stork walks”. At that moment, I knew dance and the arts would be a part of me for the rest of my life.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I truly believe that the arts provide solutions and that creativity is the catalyst to success.
Some of my proudest work has been centered on using the arts to problem solve and create solutions for community issues. Since 2015, KDA has strived to engage and uplift artists and cultural practitioners by responding to the needs of our communities and creating pathways for artists to make the greatest impact.
The following are successful case studies where creativity is driving our mission forward and the arts are making our community a better
place to live.
KDA USES the ARTS to PROBLEM SOLVE and CREATE SOLUTIONS!
Background:
KDA uses the arts to support the social, cultural, economic, and physical well-being of our communities; however, KDA is also aware of the challenges associated with the Central Valleys and the attributes leading to some of the lowest ranked cities on the California Healthy Places Index. For example, the city of Arvin is rated at .9 and Lake Isabella at 3.8, with other areas rated slightly higher, like Tehachapi at 32.4.. It is clear that there are structural inequalities restricting access to healthcare, housing, and education that impact these cities’ quality of life. To help increase the Central Valley’s California Healthy Places Index ratings, KDA works with leadership in the arts, government, education, healthcare, social services, and private sector to identify voids in the community and present opportunities to conceptualize new projects.
DANCE + HEALING:
Adventist Health Bakersfield recognized their cancer patients and survivors were in need of programs to encourage respite from the difficult effects of cancer. Adventist Health Bakersfield’s lead oncologist was a dancer and understood the role dance/movement therapy could have on healing. As a result, KDA launched the HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY program. Bakersfield is ranked at 23.3 on the California Healthy Places and vast areas of the city are under-resourced. KDA has helped to fill a void by offering HealingMOTION for cancer patients and survivors for FREE.
DANCE + COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY:
KDA launched Dancing with the Angels, a family bonding program using the arts to connect foster care communities through movement, music, and visual art.. Rooted in connecting parents/guardians with their children, Dancing with the Angels fostered creativity and self-expression, promoted trust and communication, built confidence and teamwork, and offered a day where achievements were celebrated and memories were made through a valued community experience.
DANCE + LITERACY:
The Central Valley has a high illiteracy rate, most specifically amongst Hispanic populations. As a result, KDA launched Books in Motion: DANCE + LITERACY to promote reading. Featuring LatinX dance artists, Books in Motion brings cherished children’s books to life through dance performances and tours to Kern County library locations in Hispanic communities with performances that are in Spanish. Books in Motion has served over 6,000 children since 2017 and has assisted with California Common Core Literacy Standards for children K-3rd grade.
DANCE + DIVERSITY:
KDA uplifts artists by promoting equitable programs that are focused on diversity and inclusion. MOVING FORWARD: 6 ENGAGING SESSIONS for UNITY was a partnership with Cultivating Better Tomorrows, a woman and BIPOC/LGBTQI+ owned business with a passion for advancing DEI in the performing arts community. MOVING FORWARD focused on providing informative sessions to help cultivate a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Kern County. The sessions explored the evolution of our social and cultural humanity with the intent to learn together and they supported authentic growth for individuals and companies.
DANCE + ACCESSIBILITY:
KDA is committed to making dance accessible and inclusive for all residents of Kern County. KDA hosts the only adaptive dance program in Kern County for people with cognitive and physical disabilities, ages 5-22, called ADAPTIdance. ADAPTIdance has not only served over 250 people with disabilities, but the program also provides dancers with professional development and internships to learn HOW to teach adaptive dance classes.
SUPPORTING ARTISTS:
One of the greatest challenges for Central Valley artists is a lack of grant writing workshops and professional development. Since 2015, KDA has taken the initiative to fill the void by providing nonprofits and individual artists with grant writing and business friendly resources.
The KDA grantmaking program has supported artists living in many of the lowest rated communities on the California Healthy Places Index. For example, KDA has funded the Shafter Symphony Orchestra (5.5 rating), Mojave Movement and Dance (.4 rating), and the Bakersfield City Ballet (23.3). Through KDA’s grantmaking, artists, specifically those in BIPOC communities, have become first-time grantees and have received the financial support necessary to uplift their communities through their arts programs.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of working as an arts administrator is watching the arts thrive because our community acknowledges and supports the work of artists and cultural practitioners. The arts are not a luxury, they are a necessity and as a champion of the arts, nothing gives me greater satisfaction than watching others succeed because they feel valued.
The arts are a gift that keep on giving and I wish to contribute by helping to make my community arts scene culturally vibrant and economically viable. People want to live in a community where there are an exponential amount of things to do and experience. As a result of my work, the ultimate reward, in my opinion, is living in a thriving arts and culture community that promotes livability, tourism, economic vitality, and establishes my community’s identity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kerndance.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kerndance
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/KernDance
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andreahansenmfa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQxOMMOSUEG1jJpHgC8-XtQ
Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Nancy Lynn Miller/HEARTH by Posh Creative Photography and Chuck Hashim/Kern Dance Alliance