About
SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS includes formal dance training along with a dance warm up and stretching routine, technical dance exercises, rehearsing choreography, and performing choreography in front of family, friends, and teachers. The program also includes snacks and bonding, homework review, review of challenge problems, kinesthetic learning activities, small group tutoring, and customized math problems that match each student’s curriculum level and the session topic. SHINE introduces algebra through choreography, such as representing dance moves with algebraic expressions, and uses a proprietary curriculum with three different levels that covers Arithmetic and Order of Operations; Fractions and Decimals; Pre-algebra; Coordinate Geometry; Planar Geometry; Probability and Statistics; and Advanced Word Problems.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Price: SHINE is FREE to all participants
SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS is a nationally recognized, innovative, curriculum-based, after-school program for middle school students that covers national math standards from 6th–8th grade. SHINE girls are 6th–8th grade girls interested in improving math scores, developing confidence, learning about STEAM careers, and participating in a program that empowers women. Each session of SHINE serves 30 girls and 10 mentors, and an online application is required for both SHINE girls and mentors; girls not able to join the current session are offered a place in a future session. The final day includes a performance with costumes, awards, and snacks, and parents and teachers have the opportunity to speak with the student’s mentor about progress.
SHINE mentors are local high school or college women who qualify based on their math background, tutoring experience, dance experience, attitude and enthusiasm, and the results of a background check. Mentor training includes a customized online certification system and a half-day mentor training session, and mentors receive training in working with young girls and teaching math and dance. Mentors gain access to a national network of women in STEAM and can receive recommendations and referrals for internships, colleges, and graduate schools.
Jessica Johnson has directed KDA’s SHINE program since 2017, and the leadership team includes Jessica Johnson, KDA SHINE Lead Mentor; Wendy Wisheropp-Brice, KDA SHINE Lead Mentor; Jen Thompson, Vice President and Board Member; and Marcie Hronis, President and Board Member. SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS has received positive feedback from national media including CNN, CBS, Fox, and the Boston Globe. In 2022, Kern Dance Alliance (KDA) was awarded a $4.2 million grant and was selected by the California Arts Council to be an Administering Organization for the California Creative Corps. BAKERSFIELD is the first city in California and on the West Coast to offer SHINE through a partnership with KDA, and KDA is launching a second site in Lost Hills, CA in 2025 and a third site at Valley Oaks Charter School in Bakersfield, with SHINE made possible by donations from the community.
KDA is a nonprofit arts agency that supports and promotes dance and the arts in California’s Central Valleys, specifically Kern County. KDA services provide social, emotional, physical, and financial support for creatives and the greater community, and KDA serves communities through cross-sector arts programs that teach educational subjects like math and reading, assist with healthcare such as improving life with dementia and aiding with disabilities, and increase quality of life such as uplifting marginalized groups.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Price: SHINE is FREE to all participants
SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS is a nationally recognized, innovative, curriculum-based, after-school program for middle school students that covers national math standards from 6th–8th grade. SHINE girls are 6th–8th grade girls interested in improving math scores, developing confidence, learning about STEAM careers, and participating in a program that empowers women. Each session of SHINE serves 30 girls and 10 mentors, and an online application is required for both SHINE girls and mentors; girls not able to join the current session are offered a place in a future session. The final day includes a performance with costumes, awards, and snacks, and parents and teachers have the opportunity to speak with the student’s mentor about progress.
SHINE mentors are local high school or college women who qualify based on their math background, tutoring experience, dance experience, attitude and enthusiasm, and the results of a background check. Mentor training includes a customized online certification system and a half-day mentor training session, and mentors receive training in working with young girls and teaching math and dance. Mentors gain access to a national network of women in STEAM and can receive recommendations and referrals for internships, colleges, and graduate schools.
Jessica Johnson has directed KDA’s SHINE program since 2017, and the leadership team includes Jessica Johnson, KDA SHINE Lead Mentor; Wendy Wisheropp-Brice, KDA SHINE Lead Mentor; Jen Thompson, Vice President and Board Member; and Marcie Hronis, President and Board Member. SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS has received positive feedback from national media including CNN, CBS, Fox, and the Boston Globe. In 2022, Kern Dance Alliance (KDA) was awarded a $4.2 million grant and was selected by the California Arts Council to be an Administering Organization for the California Creative Corps. BAKERSFIELD is the first city in California and on the West Coast to offer SHINE through a partnership with KDA, and KDA is launching a second site in Lost Hills, CA in 2025 and a third site at Valley Oaks Charter School in Bakersfield, with SHINE made possible by donations from the community.
KDA is a nonprofit arts agency that supports and promotes dance and the arts in California’s Central Valleys, specifically Kern County. KDA services provide social, emotional, physical, and financial support for creatives and the greater community, and KDA serves communities through cross-sector arts programs that teach educational subjects like math and reading, assist with healthcare such as improving life with dementia and aiding with disabilities, and increase quality of life such as uplifting marginalized groups.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
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