TAMPA, Fla., (WFLA) – Wednesday was a very meaningful day for the kids who live at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, they received a surprise during their ballet class.<\/p>\n
The group of second to fifth graders were surprised with a pair of ballet shoes.<\/p>\n
It was a room full of joy as the kids received their shoes at Metropolitan Ministries, a non-profit that serves at-risk, homeless, and underserved families.<\/p>\n
“That we get to learn new things every day, like Wednesdays, we come here and do ballet,” said Malaysia Johnson, one of the dance students.<\/p>\n
For Trisha Stever, with the Straz Center, she said all of this is able to happen thanks to a 20-year partnership between the Straz and Patricia J. Sullivan Partnership School.<\/p>\n
She said it is Straz’s mission to bring performing arts to underserved communities.<\/p>\n
“Arts give the kids another layer of understanding, understanding their body, understanding how to express themselves,” Stever said.<\/p>\n
The students getting ballet shoes gives them the flexibility to dance.<\/p>\n
“One of the first things you teach a ballet student is how to point their foot. In sneakers, you don’t have that flexibility,” Stever said.<\/p>\n
Through this class, they learn balance, how to find their center, and use their body as a whole.<\/p>\n
“They’re learning discipline, they’re learning how to stand still, they’re learning how to work as a team,” Stever said.<\/p>\n
The saying goes: if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and that’s how Stever looks at her job.<\/p>\n
“I get to bring the joy of dance and theatre to these kids that don’t normally have access to it,” she said.<\/p>\n
What these kids learn in the classroom will be showcased on the main stage when they have their recital.<\/p>\n
The kids get to keep the shoes and use them for their upcoming class next week.<\/p>\n
For more on Metropolitan Ministries, click here<\/a>. For the Straz Center, click here<\/a>. For Sullivan Partnerhsip School, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n