Tuttle Elementary gets moving with hip-hop educational theater

Paige Hernandez's participation play "Havana Hop" is about a girl with a multicultural heritage, who travels to Cuba to add salsa to her hip-hop performances while overcoming her stage fright. 

Students at Tuttle Elementary School, who participated in a scaled-back version of the play, weren't showing any signs of stage fright on Oct. 20 as they found their rhythm alongside Hernandez.

Hernandez, the current artist in residence with Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, visited the school to host two back-to-back performances for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. 

"We truly feel honored to be able to be the Sarasota County school that she visited and performed for," said Principal Patti Folino, noting Hernandez's accomplishments. 

A performer, director and educator, the Baltimore native is known for her work combining theater, hip-hop, dance, and education, and has collaborated with institutions including the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, and La Jolla Playhouse.

She has received honors including four Helen Hayes nominations and the Maryland State Arts Council Award.

While in Sarasota, Hernandez will share her offerings with others including Girls Inc., Booker High School Visual and Performing Arts students, and local teaching artists.

"Because hip-hop is so young, it's always been a youthful medium," Hernandez said. 'It's fresh, it's contemporary. It's got this infectious rhythm and beat. It also allows you to kind of be yourself, so you can meet someone wherever they are. They don't have to be an amazing dancer or have technique, but instead, they just need confidence, and really, you can pull off any hip-hop. So I think that's something that a lot of students relate to."