By Sharice Bryant | HDD Marketing Director
Heidi Duckler Dance (HDD) is proud to announce the launch of a new initiative in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, made possible through their Request for Proposals for Arts Instruction. This vital program will bring high-quality, trauma-informed, and project-based arts instruction to justice-involved youth in institutional settings across Los Angeles County.
A Mission That Aligns with Justice and Healing
Our work at Heidi Duckler Dance is guided by the belief that the arts are a powerful vehicle for freedom, connection, and community transformation. This program is a natural extension of our mission—to reduce barriers, increase access, and empower through creativity.
Through residencies with organizations like SHIELDS for Families, the Dorothy Kirby Center, and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, we’ve witnessed firsthand how meaningful and healing creative engagement can be for incarcerated youth. These experiences have shaped our approach: one grounded in empathy, vulnerability, and trauma-informed care.
What We’re Offering
This new program offers year-round, healing-centered arts instruction in movement, music, and visual arts. Our teaching artists engage youth in interdisciplinary projects that promote expression, agency, and emotional regulation—skills that support both personal development and long-term success beyond the institution.
We train our teaching artists in trauma-informed practices, violence prevention, neurodiversity, cultural responsiveness, and safety protocols. This professional development ensures that our team creates culturally responsive and emotionally safe environments for every participant.
Meet the Artists
Heidi Duckler Dance is proud to present a dedicated team of teaching artists who bring deep experience, compassion, and creativity to this vital work:
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- Maija Knapp is a longtime HDD performer and collaborator known for her immersive commitment to each project. She brings a deep sense of presence and passion to her teaching, offering her full self in service of transformative engagement.
- Vanessa Verdoodt, another longtime HDD collaborator, has led multiple impactful residencies. Her leadership, grounded in empathy and cultural responsiveness, fosters trust and meaningful connection with youth.
- Sasha Rivero is dedicated to inclusive arts education practices and has a strong record of working with students from diverse and historically underserved backgrounds, creating safe and expressive environments for all participants.
- William Jay Ylvisaker integrates music and movement to support emotional well-being, bodily awareness, and creative self-expression—helping students reconnect with themselves and their stories.
- Malik Bannister brings a powerful commitment to bridging generational, cultural, and lifestyle differences through the arts. His approach emphasizes connection, dialogue, and empowerment through creative practice.
Their work embodies HDD’s philosophy: For, By, and With Community—a belief that all programs should begin and end with empathy and be built alongside the people they serve.
Arts as a Justice Reform Strategy
This initiative aligns with LA County’s plan to use the arts as a strategy for justice reform, healing, and equity. We are proud to contribute to a vision that supports not only creative growth but also well-being, rehabilitation, and transformation.
We believe that every young person deserves access to meaningful self-expression, and we’re committed to making that a reality.
Through this new initiative, HDD aims to meet and exceed the objectives outlined in the County’s plan to elevate the arts as a justice reform strategy, ensuring that every youth in detention has access to creativity, expression, and hope.
For more information, please contact Director of Programs & Engagement, Jessica Emmanuel at jessica@heididuckler.org
This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture
