May 31, 2006 1:00 PM
My newspaper column today
This was my biweekly column Close to Home in today's Loudoun Times-Mirror:
Mad, Hot Ballroom' in Loudoun County
Moving back home to Virginia four years ago with my family of 22 native Californians, I was eager to introduce everyone to opportunities you just don’t find on the Left Coast.
Which is how my girls found themselves in pretty dresses and white gloves twirled – or twisted, as the case may be – around the dance floor by a series of blazer-bedecked boys.
It’s called Cotillion – a series of dance/events in which elementary and middle schoolers are taught not only to dance everything from fox trot to salsa to swing, but also how to conduct themselves in social situations – including such crucial skills as making eye contact and intelligent conversation with the opposite sex.
Though at first there was some grumbling when I packed the girls into the car, I noted that after the first session, they were ready way ahead of time. And the boys on the dance floor didn’t look reluctant either.
They were discovering something that would serve them well all their lives – on the dance floor and everywhere else: the confidence that comes when you know you can do something well and feel comfortable with yourself and everyone around you.
There’s something special about dancing. Some might even say that dance can change a child’s life.
If that sounds far-fetched, then you haven’t seen Mad, Hot Ballroom – a must-see for anyone who cares about kids. Here’s the scoop on this fascinating documentary:
Ten years ago, two New York City public schools began providing professional instruction in ballroom dancing to fifth-graders. Today in more than 60 schools, for 10 weeks, students learn the fox trot, merengue, rumba, tango and swing dancing, in preparation for a dance competition with ribbons and a gigantic trophy for the winning school.
To see the transformation of these disadvantaged kids into winners is quite moving.
From Amazon.com: “If the delightful spectacle of preteen kids dancing the fox trot and the merengue isn't enough to lure you in, add the pressure of a dance competition and the triumph of troubled kids finding self-respect through discipline – if 'Mad Hot Ballroom' were a Hollywood movie, it would be too corny for words.”
But it’s not.
Might Loudoun be on its way to discovering the power of dance instruction to lift kids to a higher level than MTV bumps and grinds? After all, freak dancing isn’t rocket science. If kids knew some more sophisticated way to have fun on the dance floor, what would that mean for the future of homecomings and proms?
This year two separate groups at Loudoun Valley High School – one student-based and one from the parent support group – made dance instruction available before the prom. Reports have it that though things weren’t perfect, there was more fun and less intense hormonal dancing than in previous years. Both groups plan to offer instruction again next fall.
A modest start, but given the history in New York, who knows where it might lead?
The experiment has begun!
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Note to MommyLife readers: I do recommend this movie highly! Also Spellbound, a documentary about the National Spelling Bee and the kids who prepare for it.
For absolute fun Strictly Ballroom, which always makes me laugh until my stomach hurts (one objectionable 90-second scene to fast forward) - a fictional insider's look at the cult of ballroom dancing in Australia wrapped around a Cinderella story.
Posted in Movies, Teens and Tweens | Permalink
Comments
Hear Hear! Mad Hot Ballroom and Spellbound are two of the best movies I've ever seen. Talk about inspiring. And so! Funny!!!
Posted by: Marie | May 31, 2006 3:32 PM
Mad Hot Ballroom was so wonderful and inspiring. Hubby and I were both dabbing away the tears. I'll have to watch Spellbound and Strictly Ballroom now too!
Posted by: Amy | May 31, 2006 8:16 PM
