October 2020 - Arts Leader Spotlight
Announcing October’s Arts Leader Spotlight…
In honor of the year of the woman, the MSDE Fine Arts Office celebrates the work of Sonia Synkowski. Congratulations to an incredible woman and arts education leader!
Sonia’s leadership is rooted in collaboration and access. We are lucky to have her vision and perspective in her statewide role at Maryland Dance Education Association.
Sonia Synkowski
Dance Resource Teacher, Office of Music and Dance Education, Baltimore County Public Schools
President, Maryland Dance Education Association
When did you realize you were an artist?
I think, in some ways, I am still realizing that I am an artist (dancer, singer, choreographer, performance artist) and in other ways, it has always been a part of me. I definitely performed at a young age, both as a singer and as a dancer, as music and dance were a huge part of my upbringing. However, there was a shift in my life where I realized that artists have the ability to use their personal voice to invite change and shift perspective. I admire artists who take this approach and use art as a vehicle for change.
To me, being an artist includes being curious and being in collaboration with other artists. I work best as a facilitator of art making and then can find a way that I fit in the creative process. I enjoy making dances collaboratively with others, being a cast member who is empowered to share and contribute ideas, and working on production elements (video, lighting, etc.) In my adult life, I have been able to connect with other dance artists and cultivate my artist self through The Collective, a Baltimore-based modern dance company. While the pandemic has essentially halted our typical in-person collaborative processes, this is still an organization that means a lot to me having served in a leadership role for many years.
Art and art making have been a huge part of my life; they provide a lifelong personal journey. I don’t think I will ever stop being a part of the creative process even if my specific role continues to shift and change. As my worldview changes, I try to find ways that I can change and be challenged as an artist. “Know better, do better” is a phrase that comes to mind and has helped me to make some shifts in my own life for the benefit of the greater good. As an artist, I hope to continue to evolve and grow in bringing joy and beauty through art but also in cultivating necessary change through the perspective of artists.
Why does arts education matter to you?
Art education matters to me because it is a basic human right, not a privilege. At a young age, students deserve the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of art forms in order to be able to choose continued study. Arts education also allows for self-expression and personal voice. There is not a prescribed formula for becoming an artist in any arts discipline; however, there is typically a personal journey of self-reflection that helps to build your artistic capacity as well as your identity. That’s a powerful process for students.
I recently encountered a quote that speaks to the worth of arts education especially in our current times and can serve to summarize my opinion on why arts education matters. As written by Sydney Gurewitz Clemens, “art has a role in education of helping children become more like themselves instead of being more like everyone else.” I don’t want to see that part of education minimized or removed for fear of losing this opportunity for personal growth for all students.
As a leader in the Arts, what are your priorities for this coming year?
As President of the Maryland Dance Education Association (MDEA), I helped to develop and curate a variety of fall virtual offerings to support dance educators in transitioning to virtual, hybrid, or in-person instruction during the pandemic and to continue building community among dance educators. The first offering was created in collaboration with the Maryland State Department of Education Fine Arts Office. For the second year in a row, MDEA and the MSDE Fine Arts Office curated a Dance Masterclass offering. This year, we engaged Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) to design a series of workshops for dance educators in modeling the creative process in a virtual environment and in developing more skill and understanding around the techniques of Katherine Dunham. The two-day workshop series takes place in October 2020. Dance educators from across the state are encouraged to participate in the making of a new work through the guidance of teaching artists from CPRD and for a virtual presentation. This masterclass can serve as a model for working with student populations, especially in a virtual environment. More information can be found at msdefinearts.org/2020-maryland-masterclass-series.
In November 2020, the Maryland Dance Education Association will launch our first ever “Grateful for Dance Week” with a week-long celebration of dance through a variety of virtual movement workshop offerings. MDEA felt it was important to remind both our members and all dance educators that dance brings joy. Many private studios, university programs, and eventually public schools in Maryland have or will open their doors for dancers to return to in-studio instruction. It’s a difficult transition but also exciting to celebrate each re-opening. MDEA wants to bring attention to the joy that dancing brings to students and to educators. So, get ready to dance like no one is watching or turn on your camera and be part of a dancing community. Grateful for Dance Week runs from November 9-14, 2020. More information can be found at https://www.mddanceed.org/danceweek.
As the Resource Teacher for Dance Education in Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), I am supporting our team of thirty-six dance educators as they re-imagine dance instruction for a virtual platform. This summer, a team of curriculum writers examined each course in order to create resources that aligned to the Maryland Fine Arts Standards and could be implemented in a virtual or hybrid environment. Based on revised class schedules, the writers created new pacing guides for delivering the dance curricula and supporting teachers with sample digital lessons. The primary focus of the work has been to spark joy through movement and to provide an opportunity for students to move as a part of their weekly schedule. Joy leads to excitement, leads to inquiry, and then, before you know it, our students are creating in their new environment. At the district level, our office will curate an opportunity for students in our BCPS dance programs to share their work through a virtual student choreography showcase.
How does creativity show up in your day?
Creativity is a part of every workforce but certainly it is a part of my daily work life as I find creative solutions to problems, look for ways to collaborate with others to build new things, and work with dance educators both locally and statewide to inspire and cultivate the next generation. To see something go from an idea to a fully realized event or offering takes creativity and imagination. I always enjoy dreaming up the next collaboration or initiative and am thankful for all the collaborators and colleagues who have been a part of this process throughout the years.
Share a recommendation of a book, artist, event, or piece of work that inspires you!
Right now, I am reading as much as I can that supports the Black Lives Matter movement and racial equity work, especially in schools. So, I highly recommend reading Stamped written by Jason Reynolds and adapted from Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning.
I also was inspired the work, Bolero Juilliard, performed by the students and alumni at the Juilliard School. It was released in April 2020 during the stay-at-home order. The collaboration between the musicians and the dancers, as choreographed and re-imaged for a virtual presentation by Larry Keigwin, spoke to our “interior lives” and provoked a sense of soothing partially due to the iconic Ravel score. Seeing musicians dance and dancers use simple gestures to portray connection really reminded me of the human experience, especially as it relates to quarantine.
To connect with the work of our Baltimore County Public Schools Dance community, follow @BCPSDance on Twitter.
To connect with the work of the Maryland Dance Education Association, follow @mddanceed on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
To connect with me personally, I occasionally go on Facebook to share photos of my kids or to connect with others. You can find me at facebook.com/ssynkowski.