San Francisco State Dance professor receives Jefferson Award for Public Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Itelson, (415) 338-1442, matti@sfsu.edu
San Francisco State Dance professor receives Jefferson Award for Public Service
Albirda Rose honored for her University program offering free classes to disadvantaged children
SAN FRANCISCO, April 3, 2008 -- Albirda Rose, a professor of Dance at San Francisco State University, has received a Jefferson Award for Public Service for her efforts to teach -- through dance -- work ethic, self-esteem and communication skills to disadvantaged children.
"The Bay Area Jefferson Awards selection committee was impressed by Dr. Rose's unwavering commitment to enrich the lives of Bay Area children with the rhythm and culture of dance," said Rosemary Roach, director of community affairs at CBS 5-TV (KPIX), a Bay Area media partner of the Jefferson Awards.
In 2000 Rose founded The Village Dancers Children's Dance Co., an SF State program that sends students to teach free dance classes to disadvantaged children in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley and Bayview neighborhoods. Most SF State students teach the children in the fall semester, when Rose's Creative Dance class is in session. Others have volunteered to teach year round, and in 2006 the Village Dancers garnered a $25,000 grant from the Walter and Elise Haas Fund to help pay SF State students for their efforts. Rose and her volunteers teach a mix of dance styles, but their lessons extend far beyond steps. They focus on inspirational "d-words": dedication, devotion and detachment from negative influences. The children perform at senior homes and the annual New Moves Children's Concert at SF State.
Rose, a San Francisco resident who has taught at SF State since 1972, will also receive a Dr. Justin S. Cummins Memorial Scholarship Award from Justin S. Cummins Chorale Inc. in June. Last fall she received the Unsung Hero Award, presented annually in San Francisco to honor African Americans for outstanding community service.
An Oakland native, Rose trained and performed professionally as a dramatic artist, vocal artist, dancer and choreographer. In 1995 she was one of the featured choreographers at Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century. Her choreography has been performed throughout the Bay Area and at the American College Dance Festival. A designated master teacher of Dunham Technique, Rose serves as certification director and a member of the administrative dance faculty for the Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar in St. Louis. Her book "Dunham Technique: A Way of Life" was published in 1990 by Kendall/Hunt. Her goal is to continue the legacy of Katherine Dunham through the systematic training and certification program of Dunham instructors. She earned her doctorate of education from University of San Francisco and is an ordained Baptist minister.
The American Institute for Public Service, established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, presents the Jefferson Awards. The awards are presented on national and local levels. National award recipients represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans. Locally, Jefferson Award recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward. The awards aim to inspire others to become involved in community and public service. The awards comprise the nation’s largest media partnership highlighting service to America. Visit: www.jeffersonawards.org or www.cbs5.com/jeffersonawards.
The SF State School of Music and Dance is part of SF State's College of Creative Arts, which offers among the most prestigious and diverse artistic higher education among any Northern California academic institution. An internationally acclaimed faculty teaches more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world in renowned programs in Art, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts, Cinema, Design and Industry, Music, Dance and Theatre Arts. Each semester, the college presents more than 100 performances, exhibits, screenings, broadcasts and special events featuring students, faculty and celebrated professional artists. For more information, visit: http://creativearts.sfsu.edu, http://musicdance.sfsu.edu or www.myspace.com/sfstatecreativearts.
-###-
PHOTO/INTERVIEWS: To schedule interviews with Professor Albirda Rose or for a photo of her, contact Matt Itelson at 415/338-1442 or matti@sfsu.edu.
