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Local dance crew competes in MTV show continued from page 4 in the East Coast regionals. They performed the dance routine from their audition with a remastered mix, with adjustments based on the audition judges’ critiques. Then, finding themselves among the bottom three teams in the regional, DraZtik was forced to enter the battle rounds. In that part of the competition, they needed to make up three different routines for the three different rounds, though they would only end up performing one of the dances. Horsley called the dance they performed an aggressive, “in your face” piece. Not that DraZtik’s performance attitude reflected their relationships with other dance crews behind the scenes. DraZtik and the other teams fed off of each other’s energy, because of both the competition and the camaraderie that developed among the squads. DraZtik members said Legendary Seven, a squad from Boston and the other team eliminated from the East Coast regionals, was constantly making them laugh. The two squads still keep in touch. There was enough time between their elimination and the show’s airing on Feb. 4 for DraZtik to fly back to Rhode Island and watch the episode with their friends, family and fans — including Henriquez, who said she was extremely proud of her teammates. “I cried the night before, I cried
the nights of and after,” she said, adding she only wished she could have joined them in Los Angeles. Her teammates assure her she was with them in spirit. DraZtik’s members said they wish they could snap their fingers and be back in Los Angeles, competing for the top prize. But they refuse to be disappointed. They have upcoming performances at local universities and high schools, including Bryant University and Classical High School. They have bonded with other dance teams and kept in touch with them. They have gained several new Facebook friends, both on their own profiles and the team’s page. They have met the “good people” of MTV, taught their skills to other dancers at the Academy, and experienced “the realization that people support us,” Horsley said. And they have vowed to return. DraZtik will audition again when season six rolls around, they said. They want to continue dancing and think they have something unique to offer in terms of personality and style. They want to improve and do better next year, with the goal of winning it all. For this — and because they love what they do — DraZtik continues to put their name out there. “Every day you dance, you grow,” Horsley said. “Period.” The members of DraZtik are Genesis Camacho, Gabby Cruz, Kelvin Fabian, Sheila Henriquez, Marvin Horsley, Josh Perez, Jared Rivers and Christine Torres.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
“Every day you dance, you grow.” — Marvin Horsley, member of DraZtik dance crew
Stimulus grant helps unemployed build futures BY Shara Azad Staff Writer
As a part of an effort to combat national unemployment and to reinvigorate the economy, the federal government has recently awarded the Providence-based Building Futures program with a $3.72 million federal stimulus grant. Building Futures was established in 2007 as an offshoot of the Providence Plan, which according to its Web site, is a broader initiative that addresses the underlying causes of Providence’s high poverty rate and general urban decline. Building Futures targets unemployment specifically by offering courses on construction-related subjects such as welding and laying pipe, so that people may in turn find specialized jobs requiring those skills, according to Andrew Cortes, director of Building Futures. The program goes one step farther after graduation by of-
fering apprenticeships with 28 local companies in construction-related fields that have formed partnerships with the organization. The apprenticeships generally provide half the salary of a full-time job, with the possibility of becoming a full or “journey-level worker” dependent on job performance, according to Cortes. The money will provide new resources and tools for the students in the program, and enable the organization to accept 100 new workers, he said. Cortes said the stimulus money will be used specifically to expand classes in what he called “the green curriculum,” which often lead to jobs in industries such as renewable energy. Marlo Jackson, a recent graduate of the program who is currently employed by Building Futures while he prepares for the exam required to enter the piping industry, was quick to praise the program. “Before Build-
Science grants support job development in R.I. continued from page 2 cil members who are “active in the academic and business community,” Smith explained. “The proposals that are awarded grants represent the best of science as well as the strongest proposals for the purpose of the grant, which is to improve economic development in Rhode Island,” Smith said.
With the state’s current fiscal situation, Smith said the state gover nment has considered cutting the council’s funding by $200,000. “We’re hopeful that won’t happen,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of support for this program and a really great need to do economic development across a continuum. We need programs that help people right now but also for the future.”
ing Futures, I wasn’t doing much of anything else,” he said. “Stick with (Building Futures) and it will change your life.” Sriniketh Nagavarapu, assistant professor of economics and environmental studies wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that the effect Building Futures has on the unemployment rate will depend on a “variety of factors.” “A program like this could very well decrease the unemployment rate, and the emphasis on labormarket attachment — through the apprenticeship program — could aid in that goal,” he wrote. “But how strong is the demand for these types of workers in the local economy or in neighboring states?” As the program expands, the future will tell if the program will build futures as well as Jackson claimed. “The name speaks for itself,” he said.
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