12/1/2021
Education and Outreach
Shaquida Vergo initially joined The Smith Center’s on-call event staff in March 2012 to help cover her rent.
Little did she know, she was embarking on a long-term relationship that would dovetail perfectly with her lifelong passion for dance.
Now taking on the new role of lead teaching artist program manager at The Smith Center, Vergo looks back on the inspiring journey that brought her here.
“The Smith Center’s Education and Outreach team has always been there for me as I developed my professional career,” she says.
Vergo grew up in Los Angeles, where she watched her mother perform as a dancer for famed choreographer Debbie Allen’s dance company in the early ‘80s. This inspired Vergo to participate in a variety of dance productions and holiday shows before starting to train seriously at age 16.
“I lived and breathed dance from an early age,” Vergo says. “I was fascinated by all aspects of it.”
In early 2012, Vergo fulfilled a dream by moving to Las Vegas to study dance production management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
“Being a production student meant that I had hands-on involvement in everything that had to do with putting on a dance performance, from light and sound to costumes and makeup,” she says. “I even costumed several shows completely on my own.”
Supporting Fellow Artists
This experience, along with a myriad of extracurricular arts-related activities over the years, gave Vergo extensive understanding and appreciation of the performing arts.
Now, these serve her well in her new job as teaching artist program manager.
In the newly created role, Vergo collaborates with The Smith Center’s Education and Outreach team to support the center’s numerous professional teaching artists.
All hailing from extensive careers in dance, theater, storytelling and vocal and instrumental music, the teaching artists apply their artforms to the center’s many outreach programs for the Southern Nevada community.
These include the center’s Southern Nevada Wolf Trap Early Learning for the Arts initiative, placing teaching artists in residencies with preschool classes, and the Disney Musicals in Schools program that helps at-risk schools create musical theater programs.
As a nonprofit, The Smith Center provides these programs at no cost to schools.
Vergo’s work includes facilitating professional development and training opportunities for teaching artists. She also identifies potential new teaching artists from diverse backgrounds and art disciplines.
Vergo looks forward to adding to the team’s creative dynamic.
“I’m really excited to be given this opportunity to generate new ideas and leverage my relationships to build on our collaborations with other artists and organizations, especially those that broaden our diversity,” she says.
Finding Opportunity on a Sandwich Board Sign
Vergo’s artistic collaboration with The Smith Center’s Education and Outreach team began serendipitously in 2013.
She happened to glimpse an a-frame board advertising the center’s Camp Broadway theater program while driving a golf cart to shuttle patrons with disabilities.
“I immediately reached out to Smith Center Vice President (of Education) Candy Schneider, who sent my resume to the Camp Broadway team in New York,” Vergo recalls.
Vergo, who had previously taught at summer camps for Orange County Community College, was quickly hired as an assistant stage manager for the second season of Camp Broadway, which aims to provide theater-rich experiences for kids ages 6 to 17.
“I absolutely loved it,” Vergo says. “Watching the kids learn acting, dancing and singing and then perform a whole show after one week was so much fun and so gratifying.”
Vergo remained involved with Camp Broadway until 2019, and assumed even greater leadership after oversight of the program transferred from New York to local artists.
Vergo cherishes her memories of teaching at Camp Broadway.
“It always made my heart happy to see the kids come back, year after year,” she says.
Keeping All the Balls in the Air
Many people struggle to do several things at once.
But not Vergo, involved in a dizzying number of extracurricular, performance and teaching activities.
These include: teaching hip-hop and jazz at UNLV; serving as a choreographer for the drama department and show choir at Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts; providing instruction at a local dance studio; and offering photography and video editing services for clients.
In 2015, Vergo also began serving as a Smith Center teaching artist for Disney Musicals in Schools and Southern Nevada Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts.
She even performed at The Smith Center’s fifth anniversary concert in 2017, along with local performance group Broadway in the Hood, together singing “Brand New Day” from Broadway musical “The Wiz.”
“It’s true I always have a lot of balls in the air,” Vergo admits with a smile.
Hitting the Ground Running
Vergo hasn’t wasted any time directing new initiatives for Smith Center teaching artists.
She and her fellow teaching artist Kathy Ortiz helped to celebrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) Day on November 6 with an introduction to musical theater for the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada.
This marked the center’s first in-person teaching artist experience since the pandemic.
November also kicked off a collaboration with Discovery Children’s Museum called Toddler Tuesdays, where Smith Center teaching artists share lessons for children visiting the museum from 11 a.m. to noon.
Vergo and the team also got into the holiday spirit with a visit to child-care center Child Haven, where they taught children songs from Broadway musical “A Christmas Carol.”
“I’m so happy to be able to give back in this new role,” she says.
LEARN MORE
Smith Center teaching artists lead a variety of the center’s education and outreach initiatives, including Disney Musicals in Schools that helps at-risk schools create their own theater programs, as well as residencies in schools through the Southern Nevada Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts program.
To learn more about Smith Center teaching artists, click here.