Dance Studio Giveaway Entry - Hardy Center Hope Dance Studio
By Created: February, 2017
Related Product: Dance and Stage Pro Full Roll 3 mm x 6x60 Ft.
Hello! My name is Kay Garland. I am the dance instructor for the Hardy Center ''Hope'' Dance Studio. I have been teaching dance to underprivileged children, ages 4 through 13, during our summer day camp and on Saturdays in the fall & winter.
I have volunteered my time to dedicate myself to teaching these children the art of dance for the past two years and am entering into my third year of operation this June. The Hardy Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization, has existed for the past nine years, and its primary goal is to feed impoverished children and to provide alternative activities that will build character, self-esteem and discipline making them more viable within society.
The dance studio was added in 2014 and has been a very popular addition the the other activities & classes offered to the children and increases in popularity each year. In 2014, we had a total of 7 students participate. In 2015, we had a total of 16 students and had to turn away the same number. This year we anticipate having two classes in the summer with a capacity of 15 students per class in order to accommodate more students.
At present, we have applied for several dance grants but have been awarded no funding. We are in desperate need of glassless mirrors, temporary dance flooring to cover the carpet which can be taken up when not in use, and practice barres. If we are selected as winners of this contest, we would use the money to purchase mirrors and/or dance flooring supplies.
The past two years have been challenging in that our kids have not been able to actually see themselves during practice to get a grasp of the uniformity required to give an outstanding performance, however, we have managed to get by. The addition of mirrors would be a wonderful overall improvement to our studio and a great aid to the children.
Dance flooring would also be a great advance to teaching hip-hop movements and modern & ballet movements with the appropriate shoes to move properly verses just practicing on carpeted floors.
The most rewarding part of my involvement with these children is to see them realize that they can, with a lot of hard work & team spirit, learn to dance individually & as a group. What it does for their self esteem is remarkable! By the end of the summer, when they get to perform, you would think that they were performing on Broadway! As nervous as they all are, they come together combating their fears with such dignity & pride and perform in front of their peers, parents & complete strangers as if they were professional dancers!
That sense of pride and accomplishment is worth all the days of practice. It is indeed a privilege for me to serve as their teacher & I look forward to each year I have with them!
Thank you for the opportunity to enter this contest. If we win, we will certainly put the winnings to good use to improve our current dance studio conditions and you will have donated to a more than worthwhile cause by helping us to so!
Kay Garland
Hardy Center Hope Dance Studio
Columbus OH 43224