This was not your little sister's dance recital.
There were no tap shoes, no pink ballerina tutus and no stuffy instructors who spent six years at Julliard.
This was dancing with an inner-city twist. Mix swing with Soulja Boy, the cha-cha with the C-walk and ballroom with breakdancing.
Friday's recital at the Southeast San Diego Jackie Robinson Family YMCA featured a dance showcase of children from four San Diego County schools sponsored by the nonprofit organization Dancing After School.
Since it began, the program has sought to teach high risk, low-income third- through seventh-graders about dance and fitness by instructing them in ballroom dancing, Brazilian capoeira, swing and hip-hop. And after three months of practice, the kids are ready to show their progress to friends and family.
The little hip-hoppers stole the show when they broke it down with their Beyonce shakes, shoulder shrugs and break-dancing. Roars of laughter and clapping came from parents in the audience as they saw head spins, poppin' and lockin' and some fabulous finger snaps.
Even more entertaining were the instructors. Part of the learning experience in this program is seeing professionals perform, and the capoeira teachers found a way to do this while getting everyone involved.
The capoeira performance included 30 kids and their instructors, as well as drums and singing. The movement, a combination of acrobatics, martial arts and dance, kept the audience engaged. Instructors demonstrated their physicality through back flips, handstands and flexibility. Everyone, including the audience, sang and swayed to the instrumentals played by performers.
While the kids perform to the best of their abilities, their goals and aspirations are to achieve the discipline and strength needed to perform with their instructors. If the program grows larger, this goal will become obtainable.
This year, Dancing After School has been able to raise $100,000 through grants, private donations and fundraising efforts. Currently serving 1,000 school children, the program hopes to expand to six more schools.
As a breath of fresh air to underrepresented areas of San Diego, Dancing After School hopes to continue its classes and performances with support from the community and local government.
After seeing the children's ear-to-ear smiles and hearing their proud parents cheering, it is apparent that the education of movement and music in San Diego schools is not only needed, but desired.
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