"Donna was great at making it fun as well as well as teaching respect for the culture. She was very attentive to all of us. She's humble and has very positive energy."
"Amazing Passionate Knowledgeable teacher. Very well rounded in teaching."
"Amazing Passionate Knowledgeable teacher. Very well rounded in teaching."
Artist Biography
Donna Oefinger AKA Donna Mation is an educator, performer, choreographer, actor, and percussionist. She is the artistic director and choreographer for Bang Bang Boogie and Vivan Los Elementos. Donna specializes in club and street dances from the USA including, Hustle, House, Popping, and Hip Hop as well as sacred and secular dances of Cuba and Brazil. Donna has owned her own studio for 16 years, taught in universities, studios and public schools since 2001.
As a teacher, Donna is known for her enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the origins of the culture and styles of dances she shares. Her classes are fun, challenging and educational, not just about movement but also history and self expression. Donna encourages and supports her students to connect with the music while embodying movement through story telling and character creation as well as technique.
Donna has danced most of her life and began her career in music and dance in 1999, which has brought her to teach and perform in various places around the world with renowned artists including Rennie Harris Pure Movement, Wyclef Jean, Pink Martini, Black Angel, Bata Ketu, and Jujuba.
As a teacher, Donna is known for her enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the origins of the culture and styles of dances she shares. Her classes are fun, challenging and educational, not just about movement but also history and self expression. Donna encourages and supports her students to connect with the music while embodying movement through story telling and character creation as well as technique.
Donna has danced most of her life and began her career in music and dance in 1999, which has brought her to teach and perform in various places around the world with renowned artists including Rennie Harris Pure Movement, Wyclef Jean, Pink Martini, Black Angel, Bata Ketu, and Jujuba.
Teaching Philosophy
For me teaching is an art in and of itself. I love to teach technique, but I relish in assisting students to find their voices in their own self-expression.
As a teacher I am passionate about sharing history and culture with students as they gain a greater understanding that the dance styles they are learning are more than movements but opportunities to embody meaningful rhythms and grooves full of history and significance, not just an imitation of form.
When I started teaching I knew I was where I needed to be and I still feel that way today. Someone once said I was in my element as a teacher. It came naturally to me. In the beginning I was asked to teach either by community or by my teachers. The responsibility can feel like a lot sometimes, but it drives me to learn more.
Over these years my teaching style has had many developments. During the last 5 years or so I have moved more towards teaching a class that has 50% technique and history education and the other 50% being about finding oneself in that expression via storytelling, concepts, and giving movement meaning for oneself. When teaching any style of dance I feel it is extremely important to also teach the history of the dance. Students need this information not only to honor those who developed the art form but also to give context to what they are doing.
The styles of dance that I teach are Afro-Cuban dance, Brazilian dance, American street dances such as hip hop, popping, house and Latin hustle. I have traveled extensively to train, learn, and be in the settings of the origins of these cultural dances. My teachers and community respect me for my knowledge and teaching style. I have taught both children and adults throughout the years in schools, studios and colleges since 1999. I never stop learning and continue to travel when possible.
In my opinion Teaching, no matter the subject, is best done with passion for what it is that you are sharing with others. I am very passionate about dance and dance history. I have taught many age groups ranging from 7 years old to 70 years old. I am always learning and am open to change in the ways that I teach. Not everyone learns the same way and this excites me. It’s exciting to find the language or signals that assists people in their learning process. However it can be challenging when, for example, you are teaching a large group and you know that there is a student in there who really needs one on one learning as their learning method. Then the challenge is to help them the best way you can even when it’s not the best learning environment for their learning style. This happens in the colleges and elementary schools where I have taught. As teachers we continue to find a way to reach people.
My belief is that students learn best through experience and experimentation. It is also my belief that taking time to drill movements and grooves in particular dance styles is a great way to build a foundation. Playing with concepts in all the styles of dance that I teach plays a big roll in the growth I have seen in my students. I find that patiently spending time with a technique, allowing students to go slowly at first, results in a more thorough learning process. I believe all of these activities allows for more diverse exploration and freedom of expression. I don’t believe in mistakes during the learning process for without them there would be fewer discoveries. It is important to me to establish an environment of safety and mutual respect where students are encouraged to be themselves as they experiment with movement, feelings and character. I believe it is important to support and encourage people on their artistic and expressive journeys. Finding ways to challenge my students to think differently, move in new ways while free styling or improvising has lead to wonderful discoveries for both my students and myself. Learning to express through dance is or can be a deep process that is not solely artistic but also a invaluable form of self discovery.
As a teacher I am passionate about sharing history and culture with students as they gain a greater understanding that the dance styles they are learning are more than movements but opportunities to embody meaningful rhythms and grooves full of history and significance, not just an imitation of form.
When I started teaching I knew I was where I needed to be and I still feel that way today. Someone once said I was in my element as a teacher. It came naturally to me. In the beginning I was asked to teach either by community or by my teachers. The responsibility can feel like a lot sometimes, but it drives me to learn more.
Over these years my teaching style has had many developments. During the last 5 years or so I have moved more towards teaching a class that has 50% technique and history education and the other 50% being about finding oneself in that expression via storytelling, concepts, and giving movement meaning for oneself. When teaching any style of dance I feel it is extremely important to also teach the history of the dance. Students need this information not only to honor those who developed the art form but also to give context to what they are doing.
The styles of dance that I teach are Afro-Cuban dance, Brazilian dance, American street dances such as hip hop, popping, house and Latin hustle. I have traveled extensively to train, learn, and be in the settings of the origins of these cultural dances. My teachers and community respect me for my knowledge and teaching style. I have taught both children and adults throughout the years in schools, studios and colleges since 1999. I never stop learning and continue to travel when possible.
In my opinion Teaching, no matter the subject, is best done with passion for what it is that you are sharing with others. I am very passionate about dance and dance history. I have taught many age groups ranging from 7 years old to 70 years old. I am always learning and am open to change in the ways that I teach. Not everyone learns the same way and this excites me. It’s exciting to find the language or signals that assists people in their learning process. However it can be challenging when, for example, you are teaching a large group and you know that there is a student in there who really needs one on one learning as their learning method. Then the challenge is to help them the best way you can even when it’s not the best learning environment for their learning style. This happens in the colleges and elementary schools where I have taught. As teachers we continue to find a way to reach people.
My belief is that students learn best through experience and experimentation. It is also my belief that taking time to drill movements and grooves in particular dance styles is a great way to build a foundation. Playing with concepts in all the styles of dance that I teach plays a big roll in the growth I have seen in my students. I find that patiently spending time with a technique, allowing students to go slowly at first, results in a more thorough learning process. I believe all of these activities allows for more diverse exploration and freedom of expression. I don’t believe in mistakes during the learning process for without them there would be fewer discoveries. It is important to me to establish an environment of safety and mutual respect where students are encouraged to be themselves as they experiment with movement, feelings and character. I believe it is important to support and encourage people on their artistic and expressive journeys. Finding ways to challenge my students to think differently, move in new ways while free styling or improvising has lead to wonderful discoveries for both my students and myself. Learning to express through dance is or can be a deep process that is not solely artistic but also a invaluable form of self discovery.
