Arnel Calvario, OTD, OTR/L: OT in School-Based & Community Dance Programs
In this post, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner working in school-based & community dance programs. You will hear from the personal and professional experiences of Arnel Calvario, OTD, OTR/L. Believing in using his talents & resources to promote community outreach, “respect for all people,” artistic expression, and education, Dr. Arnel Calvario has dedicated himself to the dance community since his college days. In 1992, he founded UC Irvine’s own Kaba Modern. He currently serves as the Board President of Culture Shock International and as an active member of the KINJAZ. He managed Kaba Modern, Fanny Pak, the Beat Freaks, & Kinjaz during their runs on MTV’s hit show America’s Best Dance Crew. Arnel also helped manage Kinjaz during their 2017 run on NBC’s World of Dance. He also launched his “Dance Therapy Program for Neurodivergent Children” in April 2014 in collaboration with Culture Shock LA & the DEA. Arnel has been a guest lecturer at UC Irvine, USC, Grossmont College, Cal State Fullerton, UCLA, Cornell University, & Princeton University. He also continues to teach his ROOTS B4 BRANCHES dance workshop and his international virtual program LEADERSHIP TOOLS for the DANCE LEADER, judge dance competitions, speak on discussion panels & participate in program development & leadership mentorship internationally. He is also the United States judge for the annual Hip Hop International (HHI) Dance Championships and is the Co-Coordinator for the annual HHI World Battles. He does all this while continuing to work as a full-time Doctor of Occupational Therapy for Long Beach Unified School District Related Services.
Q & A with Arnel:
Please tell us a little about yourself and a few favorite occupations.
I am an occupational therapist with over 14 years of clinical practice in the area of school-based occupational therapy as well over 11 years of clinical practice in the area of pediatric rehabilitation services (between ages of 2 weeks old to 21 years of age) in the hospital setting. I have worked with various diagnoses including developmental delay, autism, post-operative tumor resections, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis, lupus, encephalitis, and post-operative orthopedic surgeries. My clinical expertise is in pediatric physical disabilities, behavior management, feeding/swallowing intervention, kinesiotaping/splinting, sensory integration, and community integration. I also have participated in several department committees for Long Beach Unified School District and throughout Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, have presented on a national level at AOTA conference, and have also been a clinical instructor for both Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and the Long Beach Unified School District. That’s some general info about me, but a few of my favorite occupations are dancing, writing, hiking, photography, spending time with family and friends who are family, eating ICE CREAM :), watching documentaries, community programs, and education creation
What motivated you to contribute to this podcast series?
I love speaking about our career path as OTs and encouraging others to find the right combination of things to live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life.
Please describe the Uncommon OT work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve, and the needs that you address.
I would say my Dance Therapy Program for Children with Special Needs would be the more unconventional OT work that I do.
What inspired you or drew you to this type of OT work?
It is congruency between my passion for dance education and occupational therapy :)
How did you get there? Can you describe your path?
I grew up learning and performing Filipino cultural dance as well as Hip Hop social dances. On my mother's side of the family (Aklanon), there are a lot of health professionals, so I was encouraged to pursue this path. After going on a medical mission to the Philippines during college to assist with medical supplies distribution and delivery of free medical procedures (cataracts surgery, tumor resection, delivering babies), I realized I was most interested in the recovery process and what happens after the medical interventions. When I returned, I pursued Physical Therapy aide positions at a few local clinics and ended up being exposed to Occupational Therapy and I loved how creative and personalized the occupational therapy sessions were. I knew that this was the perfect career path for me.
Please describe a typical day or OT session in your uncommon setting? What OT skills do you utilize?
My dance therapy program is typically in SPRING as an 8-10 week after-school program. Each weekly session is 45 minutes and is composed of: warm-up sensory activity, writing an affirmation of the week, learning a short dance combination, freestyle movement break, and then review of dance combination learned. Each week builds upon the next and then at the end of the program, the students do a performance for their loved ones and/or school.
Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role?
Recent highs are seeing the positive impact of the program on my students and their families. Many of the parents shared how they have never seen their child perform or express themselves in this way and the students convey their enjoyment of the program and each other. The challenge has literally only been the Covid-19 shut down this past year. The funding and support have only been growing and we were ready to do a summer camp version of the program Summer 2020. I'm unsure we will be able to do this program until Summer 2021.
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role?
I continue to attend continuing ed OT courses, AOTA conferences, and also continue to take dance education workshops as well.
Can you share a little bit about salary and compensation in this setting? How do OT or the services you provide get funded?
My dance therapy program is covered by a grant through the DEA awarded to Culture Shock Los Angeles whom I partner with.
Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started on this path?
Start with creating your Mission Statement and Values statement for your program. Then you have to decide if you will either partner with a Non-Profit OR become a Non-Profit / For-Profit organization.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your job/role you’d like to call out or demystify?
That we are limited to the conventional pathways of delivering OT (clinic, hospital, school-based, psych, etc...)
How do we find you, follow you, be in touch with you, and promote your unique work?
IG: @ArnelCalvario
FB: Arnel Calvario
Email: Arnel@Kinjaz.com
RESOURCES:
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/ArnelCalvario
Instagram: @kabamodern
Instagram: @CultureShockLA
Instagram: @Kinjaz
Children's Hospital LA
https://secure1.chla.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2241&mfc_pref=T&2241.donation=form1
As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot
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