Give the Gift of Transforming Young Lives!
12 weeks ago, these fifth grade students from ten schools across the Twin Cities  didn't even want to touch each other.  Yet, on December 11, they danced with their partners with  Elegance, Teamwork, and Respect . That's because  Dancing Classrooms , provided by the Minnesota nonprofit Heart of Dance, is so much more than dance steps.
A fifth grader I'll call Jovan danced with her Minneapolis school teammates that day. She was awesome. Her dancing was spot on. She was the team leader, encouraging her nervous teammates. But Jovan wasn't always this helpful. Last year, Jovan had significant behavior problems. She had an attitude. Then she started Dancing Classrooms.
"She is a totally different person," her mom reports. "She loves Dancing Classrooms, and she comes home every night and teaches all of us her new steps." Jovan's teacher says the dance sessions motivated Jovan in all her schoolwork. And when Jovan was selected to dance in the Colors of the Rainbow Team Match above, "it was like something switched on in her head." Why? Jovan had never before been chosen to do something in school based on positive behavior.
Students Count on you!

81% of Dancing Classrooms parents saw increased self-esteem in their child. 9 of 10 teachers reported improved student relationships. These photos tell the story. Your gift will help more students this spring to find themselves and develop the confidence to try something new.


Your gift of  $50  provides one student five weeks of Dancing Classrooms.  $100  gives one student 10 weeks.  $250  pays for a school team to attend The Colors of the Rainbow Team Match. $1,000 pays one-half of a ten-week  Dancing Classrooms residency. $2,000 pays for a full classroom sponsorship of a residency.

Photos Provided by C.J. Hurst

Please help many more Jovans find themselves in these difficult times. 
Teaching respect and teamwork to our young people is more important than ever.


Thank you!

We could not do this without your amazing support.  
Thank you for joining Heart of Dance on this journey!
 
Programming is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. We are also grateful for the support of the Emerald Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation, Mardag Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation, as well as many generous individual donors and volunteers. This activity is funded, in part, by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State's general fund.






STAY CONNECTED: