Rebecca Cervantes – MYT Director/Instructor
Hip Hop & World Dance
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This class focuses on creating community and inspiring self-expression through dance games. Students are encouraged to freestyle, improvise, choreograph, and find their own way of moving in their space through fun, creative exercises. We also learn and perform dances from all over the world, including Hip Hop, Salsa, and Merengue.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Rebecca Cervantes has been teaching dance to kids and adults all over San Francisco since 1994. She started teaching Hip Hop at the Mission YWCA, worked with adults at Rhythm & Motion and now teaches all over SFUSD and at The Marsh. She loves bringing kids the joy of dance and creating opportunities for them to perform in community events all over San Francisco.
Maica Folch – Instructor
Creative Dramatics & Bailando con Trapecios
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Maica Folch was born and educated in Catalonia, Maica Folch has been an energetic presence in the San Francisco art education community for over twenty years. Maica draws on her circus, theater, dance background to teach theater, dance and trapeze at the Marsh Youth Theater, the San Francisco Youth Theater, and in the San Francisco public elementary schools.
Mariella Morales – Instructor
Dances of the African Diaspora
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Students are encouraged to discover movement within their own individual bodies through the vehicle of dance. These classes explore dances of the African Diaspora. She creates a safe space for ALL students using dance as art and discipline.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Mariella Morales, a San Francisco native was introduced to dance at the age of 7 when she would accompany her mother to her dance classes. Her love for dances of the African Diaspora was due to her attendance at SF School of the Arts (SOTA), where she was introduced to Dunham Technique and African Haitian. Ms. Morales’ academic credentials are: received an A.A in Dance from City College of San Francisco (CCSF) in 2004; completed a B.A. in Dance from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 2007; and earned a M.S. in Kinesiology at SFSU in 2012.
Juan de Dios Soto – Instructor
Latin Rhythms Dance and Percussion
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This class offers movement and rhythms from the Latin and African diaspora. Students are introduced to Afro-Peruvian percussion basics on the Cajon drums. We explore the rhythms through movement, dance, choreography and percussion.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Juan de Dios Soto came to San Francisco, CA from Lima, Peru in 1990. From childhood he was exposed to Afro-Peruvian music and dance, and began practicing the Cajon drum as part of his family’s Afro-Peruvian inheritance and traditions. He co-found the Tradition Peruana Cultural Center (TPCC) in 1995 and teaches dance and percussion throughout the SF Bay Area.
Daniel Macri – Instructor
Making Music
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Music classes focus on building community through collective music practice. Participants are encouraged to learn, play, and create together recognizing that our collective efforts yield greater results than individual contributions alone. Whether through body percussion, recorder playing, singing, or other musical elements, the focus is on the process—experiencing the joy of setting goals and achieving them together, with an emphasis on the musical journey rather than the destination. This experiential learning approach fosters creativity, collaboration, and a deep sense of connection within the group.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Daniel Macri was born in Argentina in a family of musicians and is a dedicated music composition educator from Juan J Castro Conservatory of Music in Argentina. with a strong background in teaching and workshop facilitation, he is committed to culturally responsive and inclusive arts education. He has successfully led music workshops for diverse communities, including refugees, older adults with dementia and underserved children. With expertise in community engagement, bilingual instruction, and interdisciplinary arts programs, he inspires and supports the creative development of all students, fostering inclusion and accessibility.
Daniel Gill – Instructor
Making Connections Through Puppetry Arts
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Through experimentation, creation, and play, children experience the potential of puppetry arts for self-expression, storytelling, and connecting with peers. Children will engage in puppet-making processes, such as rod puppets, hand puppets, and marionettes, and explore narrative development and interpretation. Puppetry arts engage children in materials exploration, expansive creativity, self-expression, and performance.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Daniel Gill is an educational puppeteer, early childhood educator, and teaching artist with an extensive background in early childhood education as a preschool teacher and Expressive Arts specialist. He has worked in inclusive and special education settings and holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education from San Francisco State University. Daniel has completed professional development courses in puppet performance at the O’Neill Puppetry Conference, educational puppetry conferences through Puppeteers of America, and completed the Puppet Therapy Diploma program. He uses puppets as teaching tools in his teaching artist work with students; including adaptive theater classes in Autism-focus classrooms (StageWrite’s ADAPTS program), puppet theater classes (Marsh Youth Theater), and visual arts classes in inclusive classrooms (San Francisco Children’s Art Center).
Carolé Flamenco – Instructor
Movement, Rhythm & Theater Games
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Students learn Dance and Creative movement, from Hip Hop to Flamenco to Musical Theater. This class integrates vocal warmups, and teaches rhythm through body percussion. Students also play Theater games, improvise together, and create skits, as age appropriate.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
CarOlé Flamenco (CarOlé Tachíria Acuña Flamenco) is the fifth generation flamenco & Spanish dancer in her Gitano family legacy, a Meisner trained actor, stand-up comedian, singer, choreographer, author, a Masters of Fine Arts candidate, flamencologist, and is the director of FLAMENCO SPANISH DANCE THEATRE of AMÉRICA (founded by Carolina Lugo in 1995). She performs in large theatres, with symphonies, operas, in film, television, commercials, web-series, comedy clubs and special story telling shows. She has done voice over and percussion recordings for Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, was named the “Top Flamenco Dancer in America” by the So You Think You Can Dance judges, was hand picked by Jennifer Lopez to be on “¡Qué Viva! The Chosen”. A few things Ms. Flamenco is currently working on is the company’s next home season, a one person show (with help from Don Reed & David Ford), and various site specific works. Website: caroleflamenco.com
John Ramirez – Instructor
Serious Fun (MUSIC & THEATER)
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This class is a welcoming introduction to the world of Theater and Music. Students learn Music & Theater History and skill building through games and play, such as Call & Response, group singing, 3 part harmonies, and using bodies as instruments to create rhythms. Students learn Theater History through team building and listening games, improvisation, imagination, stage directions, and scene study as appropriate.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
John Ramirez (He/ They) is excited to bring the world of vocal music and theatre to the schools of San Francisco. As a Bay Area native and 3rd generation Latine performer, John has much experience in the musical theatre world to share with his students. He has worked all over the bay as a professional actor and teaching artist with companies such as Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose, Plethos Productions, Starting Arts, Milpitas Community Theatre and Bay Area Children’s Theatre. He has directed and vocal directed such shows as Into the Woods Jr, Moana Jr, The Lion King Jr, Seussical Kids and Willy Wonka Jr. He has performed in shows such as Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, In the Heights and Once on this Island. When not teaching or performing, John enjoys playing video games, hanging with his Boyfriend, Vinny and playing with his cat, Mango. John loves The Marsh’s statement on the arts and hopes to contribute to the overall goal of The Marsh.
Nicole Jost – Instructor
Write for the Stage!
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This class is for kids with something to say! Write for the Stage introduces students to the tools of the playwright to help them create and share their own original stories. Students will imagine new characters, places, and conversations; learn how to capture those ideas in written form (or by speaking them aloud for younger grades); and share what’s important to them by performing with their peers. The class will also include theater games to help students get inspired and build creative community.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Nicole Jost (she/her) is a playwright, theater producer, and educator with thirteen years of experience teaching young people to write plays of their own. She is a co-founder of Queer Cat Productions, a San Francisco theater company that created consent-forward, accessible, and immersive experiences from 2017-2023. With Queer Cat, Nicole is the co-writer of four interactive plays, including THE GAY DIVORCE PLAY (Potrero Stage, 2019) and FELIX B. LOVE IS NOT ALONE! (virtual, April 2020). She is currently writing the book for her second musical, a collaboration with composer and lyricist Maggie Grabmeier of local indie band Maggie Gently. As an educator, Nicole has worked with students in a wide variety of settings: from in-school English, History, and IEP classrooms, to after-school drama clubs, to college courses. She began her teaching career in her hometown of Washington, DC, teaching for a theater program where she had once been a student. Nicole holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting and an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She lives in San Francisco with her wife, two cats, and a crested gecko named Breadstick.