jazz and ballet, culminates in a grand spring concert for friends and family in the theatre at Las Vegas Academy. Currently, 12 schools and 650 students participate in the nonprofit program, including Elaine Wynn Elementary, where Jonas first began, and Gilbert CVT Elementary, where Roorda was discovered. “It changes children’s lives,” says Erika Kirby, a fourth-grade teacher at Harvey N. Dondero Elementary who’s also been a Future Dance teacher for nine years. “The children that I teach every day in the class would never be able to afford dance classes otherwise. Their families struggle just to get by or just to deal with the basic necessities.” Nearly the entire student body at Dondero signs up to participate, but only 130 students are accepted. Behavior, attendance and grades all factor into the decision process. “They don’t have to have the highest grades, but it’s really an incentive to be in school and do your best, so that you get to be in dance class,” Kirby says of the program that, for dance’s recent rise in popularity (due to shows like “So You think You Can Dance”), attracts nearly as many boys as girls. While free after-school care certainly contributes to the demand for the program, that’s only a part of it. “They’re really fun, upbeat, nonstop classes. You’re moving the whole time. We have everything from sashays and triplets to hip hop combinations across the floor, to kicks and leaps,” says Comito, who developed the choreography-focused curriculum with the final performance in mind. And for the kids, the takeaway — beyond the new moves — can be immense. In some cases, this first introduction to dance leads kids to the Las Vegas Academy, then future careers in the arts. For others, it’s even more significant. “A lot of the times, kids that are really shy or withdrawn and they’re obviously having home problems, they come out of their shell. It’s their time to be free and be themselves,” says Comito. “It’s just amazing. Teachers and principals will come to me and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, this kid is a completely different kid in this class.’” Select Future Dance Students — about three per participating school — are offered scholarships to attend Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Dance Discovery classes with everything covered, from tights to shoes. Of 90 ballet students in the Dance Discovery program, those showing the most potential will win full-ride scholarships to attend Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Academy, as did Jonas, Roorda and, of course, Triunfo. (Currently, there are 29 scholarship students training at Nevada Ballet Theatre’s
The Hill Concert Series Tickets On Sale September 5th! www.shrinershospitalsopen.com/tickets
Join us on Friday and Saturday, October 18th & 19th, for live entertainment and 27 holes of delicious wine and craft beer tastings.
Rounds never tasted so good! All proceeds benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals providing care to children up to the age of 18 regardless of their ability to pay.
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