Almira's fifth-grade students participate in a 20-week program run by Dancing Classrooms of Northeast Ohio. The nonprofit launched in 2008 with the goal of strengthening the social and emotional skills of students through teaching ballroom dances.
Dance instructor Mary Novak rehearses several dance steps with Ms. Mary Hejnal’s fifth-grade class.CLEVELAND, Ohio – Instead of the usual blocks of four, the desks in Ms. Mary Hejnal’s fifth-grade classroom are pushed against the walls to create space for the students, who are standing in two concentric circles.
Counting together to eight, which Ms. Jo Jo tells them is the magic number in the merengue, the students practice stepping in place.and The Plain Dealer have spent the past two school years embedded at Almira Elementary School on Cleveland’s West side, documenting the many challenges of teaching kids whose lives are complicated by poverty and the creative ways Cleveland educators overcome them.
As the executive director of Dancing Classrooms of Northeast Ohio, she’s here today to introduce students to the program with Ms. Mary Nozak, who will be their primary instructor for the duration of the 20-week process. The non-profit organization launched in 2008 with the goal of strengthening the social and emotional skills of students through teaching ballroom dances.
“We can all find someone we can tolerate for 45 minutes, but the reality of life is that there are going to be people who are challenging to interact with,” Ms. Jo Jo says. “Changing partners is teaching them how to interact with everyone in a way that’s safe, kind and helpful.” “Everyone’s starting line is in a different place, so for some students, starting the lessons with physical touch brings up a lot of anxiety,” Ms. Jo Jo says. “By starting with the connectors, we take away some of that pressure by slowly bringing them together.”
“Now, when the light turns green. What happens? We go!” Ms. Jo Jo says. “To do that, I’m going to go move my feet open and close for eight steps, and then we’re going to practice together.”
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