The Chance To Dance

A Ballroom Dance Program to Benefit Underprivileged Youth

Group 1: Ian LaMarsh, Alexandra Pollock-Jenkins, Kathryn McCord, Kayleigh
Donnelly
Professor Elizabeth Bruce
Business Communication 3311.501
University of Texas at Dallas
April 30, 2015

It gave me another world. You have reality and then you have
Saturdays when you went and danced...you were creating a story ... I was
able to go forget for those couple of hours and just dance and have fun.. that

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

was always my natural high. - High School Student (Fiske, 1999, p. 71). This
quote is from a report titled Champions of Change; The Impact of the Arts
on Learning edited by Edward B. Fiske, former Education Editor of the New
York Times. The high school student, in the quote, reflects on their beloved
dance course and the eye-opening freedom they feel from it. This student
lived in an urban, impoverished environment without any exposure to the
arts until a local recreation center began hosting free dance classes in the
area.
The collaborative report, Champions of Change was written over a
five-year period and written by a number of reputable sources including The
Presidents Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The report outlines
independent studies, interviews, and statistics proving that learners can
attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts
(Fiske, 1999, p.10). Table 1 shows the direct correlation between arts courses
students take
and verbal and
math scores.

The arts is a broad term encompassing a variety of forms including,

dance, sculpture, painting, drama and poetry. This report will focus solely on
the art of dance. The many benefits of dance fall into physical, social, and
cognitive categories.
Physically. Dance teaches muscle memory, corrects posture, and helps
balance (Lake, 2013, p.1).

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

Socially. Working together, students develop community-building skills

including cooperation and patience (Fiske, 1999, p.33). Dance allows
students to begin to practice performing in front of an audience, developing
pride in the themselves. Their family also has the opportunity to be proud of
their childs accomplishment (Fiske, 1999, p.36).
Cognitively. Dance workshops strengthen language development, develop
critical thinking skills, and promote literacy (AEP, 2012, p. 1).
Underprivileged Middle School Students
Underprivileged students. Underprivileged students do not have strong
community leaders or a wealth of mentors to choose from. Their
environments are limited and without variation of perspective. They are the
least likely to be exposed to the arts or extracurricular activities (Elias, 2009,
p.2).
Middle school students. Preteens, grades 5-8, are at the highest risk of
getting involved in drugs and gang-related activity (Koughan, 2012, p.1).
Introducing dance during this time would not only put preteens and early
teenagers on a path to a healthy lifestyle, but also help them develop a
healthy, open mind. Middle schools are generally designed to give younger
kids a more intensive level of support. If intervention doesnt occur until
high school...it becomes much harder to turn kids around and put them back
on track (Koughan, 2012, p.3).
Dallas, Texas
Major problems for the district include English fluency and poverty. The
Dallas Independent School District has struggled to provide more than basic
skills to its
students (Texas
Tribune, p.1).
Table 2. displays
on the
demographic
makeup of
DISD students.

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

Where students are uncertain about their English, dance transcends

the language barriers among cultures. Dallas has the 7th highest dropout rate
in the nation (Stutz & Tawnell, 2008, p.2), but dance can teach these
wavering students the importance of commitment. Income disparity means
little when students are out on the dance floor wearing the same shoes,
learning the same routine, at the same pace. Between the proven benefits,
extensive trials, and a pinpointed target demographic, this pilot dance
program for one of Dallas lowest performing middle schools, Edward H. Cary
Middle School, will give students a chance to be more than they dreamed
they could be.
The Chance to Dance: A Proposal
Who
Studio 22 is a ballroom dance and social club modelled after one of the
largest and most successful ballroom dance studios in LA. Every Studio 22
instructor is an expert in their style of dance. In fact, two instructors helped
prepare Dancing With The Stars candidates, Mark Cuban and Emmitt Smith,
for their performances. Studio 22 desires to share its expertise and love of
ballroom dance with the DFW metroplex and especially with Edward Cary
Middle School students.
Where
Since Edward Cary Middle School is located only 17 minutes from
Studio 22, the students will be bussed to Studio 22 where they can enjoy a
large ballroom dance floor complete with mirrors. Figure 1 shows that exact
route the bus will bring the students.
Figure 1. Bus Route From Edward Cary Middle School to Studio 22

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

(Figure 1. Image of Bus Route from Edward Cary Middle School to Studio 22.
Adapted from Google Maps, (2015), Edward cary middle school to studio
22.Googlemaps.com. https://www.google.com/maps)
What
Performances. At the end of 14 weeks, the students will perform a routine
they have learned over the semester. One performance will be held on the
final day, December 2, at Studio 22. The students will also perform in front
of their peers at Edward Cary Middle School at a pep rally in mid-December.
(Note: The exact date will be determined once the 2015-2016 DISD calendar
is published).
Curriculum. Studio 22 has designed a 14 week program called The Chance
to Dance, which will teach ballroom dance to seventy-eight 7th graders
selected from Edward Cary Middle School. The curriculum will include the
ballroom and Latin fundamentals: Rumba, Cha-cha, Foxtrot, Tango and,
Waltz.

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

When
Schedule. The Chance to Dance will be launched in Fall 2015, beginning on
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 and continue until Tuesday, December 1, 2015.
Table 3 shows the schedule for every Tuesday in Fall 2015.
Table 3. Tuesday Schedule for Fall 2015
Time

Activity

4:15pm

School lets out

4:30-5:00pm

Bus leaves to take students to Studio 22

5:00-5:30pm

Students eat snack and change into dance shoes

5:30-6:15pm

Two instructors teach ballroom fundamentals

accompanied by volunteers

6:15-6:45pm

Students learn and practice routine for end of semester

performance

6:45-7:00pm

Students take off shoes and board bus

7:00-7:30pm

Students ride back to Edward Cary MS where parents

pick up their children

How
Selection of Students. Studio 22 will select the 78 students through an
essay contest. In May 2015, the Edward Cary sixth graders will have the
opportunity to write an essay detailing why they want to be part of the The
Chance to Dance and what their dreams and hopes are for the future. Not
only will this essay contest provide an incentive for students to work on their
writing skills, it will also prepare students to learn to dance. The writing
process of drafting, editing, and ending with a polished essay is similar to the
dance process of learning a new dance move, practicing and perfecting the
movement, and then performing that movement. The administrators at
Studio 22 will then review these essays and select 39 boys and 39 girls to
participate in The Chance to Dance.
Essay Contest Letter to Students. All sixth grade teachers will be given
the following letter to hand out to their students.

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

Dear Edward Cary Middle School Sixth Graders,

We are excited to give you the opportunity to learn more about ballroom
dancing at Studio 22! The Chance to Dance is a 14-week after school
program where you will learn the basics of ballroom dance and also have the
opportunity to perform what you have learned at the end of the program. You
will be chosen for this program based on the essay you write.
For Fall 2015, we will choose 39 boys and 39 girls to participate. If you are
chosen, you will receive a permission slip in the mail that must be
completed and turned in at the school office before August 28, 2015. If you
have any questions, feel free to contact us at the number listed below. Our
website also has additional information about The Chance to Dance.
We hope we get to meet you and introduce you to ballroom dance. Most of
all, we want to help you become who you were meant to be!
Sincerely,
Alexandra Pollock
Studio 22
972.876.9828
http://studio22dallas.com/thechancetodance/
Essay Prompt. Write or type one page answering the following questions.
Answer each question with at least 3 sentences.
1. Why you want to be a part of The Chance to Dance?
2. What do you want to do when you grow up?
3. If you could change anything about the world what would it be?
Permission Slip. Once the students are selected, they will receive an
acceptance letter in the mail during the summer. In order for the students to
travel by bus once a week to Studio 22, the parents/guardians must sign the
permission slip shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. DISD Permission Slip

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

(Figure 2. Image of DISD permission slip form. Adapted from dallas

independent school district. (2013, September). Dallasisd.org. Retrieved April
9, 2015 from http://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib)

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

Staffing Information
Alexandra Pollock-Jenkins: Project Coordinator
Alexandra graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2012
with a Bachelors in Operations Management. She has been in charge of
organizing numerous programs not only at Studio 22, but at other companies
as well. Studio 22 hired Alexandra one year ago. In that time, she has
promoted and helped organize events such as the Youth DanceSport
Program. Alexandra will be in charge of reviewing all of the essays submitted
to Studio 22 by the students of Edward H. Cary Middle School hoping to be
selected for this program. In addition, she will also take care of processing
all the permission forms and volunteer applications for this dance project.
Ian LaMarsh: Instructor
Ian has been teaching at Studio 22 for two years. He began taking
dance lessons at the age of seven in Austin, Texas, and has since learned
and perfected many dancing styles including, tap and jazz. In 2011, he
graduated from SMU with a Bachelors in Dance and went on to place 4th in
the Vegas Open Championships in 2013. Ian has enjoyed volunteering with
children for the last eight years. With this passion, he has volunteered his
time assisting Katie in teaching the children of the Youth DanceSport
Program. Ian will be responsible for monitoring the Edward H. Cary Middle
School students progress and teaching them ballroom dancing along with
Kathryn McCord in front of all of the volunteers and students.
Kathryn McCord: Instructor
Kathryn has been teaching at Studio 22 for five years. From the age of
five in San Francisco, California, Kathryn has been taking dance lessons. She
furthered her dancing career by competing in many local and state
competitions during high school. In 2010, Kathryn graduated with a
Bachelors in Fine Arts from Juilliard and then appeared on Dancing with the
Stars in 2013. Her teaching career began in high school as she taught young
children different dance techniques. Today she instructs the children of the
Youth DanceSport Program. Kathryn will be responsible for sporadically
monitoring the progress of the students of Edward H. Cary Middle School and
teaching ballroom dancing with Ian LaMarsh.
Kayleigh: Studio & Events Manager

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

Kayleigh graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2003 with

a Bachelors in Business Administration. Since then, Kayleigh has been the
studio and events manager for five years at Studio 22. Before her time at
Studio 22, she spent three years managing various local dance studios.
Kayleigh will be in charge of the supervision of this project as a whole and
care to any unforeseen issues. She will also take care of any budget reports
and scheduling.
Chaperones
One male and one female teacher will be appointed as chaperones by
Edward H. Cary Middle Schools principal. They will ride with the students to
and from Studio 22. In addition, they will be responsible for their safety and
well-being during each weekly trip to Studio 22. As compensation for their
time, they will be paid $10/hour.
Volunteer Instructors
There will be 39 members of Studio 22 who will volunteer as
instructors to the 78 students of Edward H. Cary Middle School. These 39
members must have at least one year of experience with Studio 22, and will
be appointed on a first come- first serve basis. Each volunteer will be paired
with one male and one female student from Edward H. Cary Middle School.
The volunteers will also be responsible for helping the two students with the
dancing styles. To attract interest in volunteering, Studio 22 will offer each
volunteer a special discount of 20% off their membership fee per month for
three months.
Budget
Table 5. shows the budget broken into four main categories.
Table 5. Categorical Budget for The Chance to Dance
Clothes

$1,794.00

Snacks

$343.00

Transportation

$5,040.00

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

10

Staff Compensation

$3,390.60

Total

$10,567.60

(Multiple sources in used for Table 5. See Table 5 on Reference page.)

Table 6. shows the pricing of each item expected to be used in this project.
Table 6. Budget Expense Breakdown for The Chance to Dance
Item
Amount
Bus and Driver Fee

$5,040.00

Volunteer Discount from

Membership Fees (39)

$2,550.60

Chaperone Compensation (2)

$840.00

78 Unisex Dance Shoes

$1,794.00

Welchs Fruit Snacks (25 packages)

$100.00

Nature Valley Granola Bars (23

packages)

$115.00

Water (32 packages)

$128.00

Total

$10,567.60
(All sources for Table 6 cited on Reference page)

All in all, dance provides extraordinary benefits dance for students. The
growth a child receives in the subjects of cultural, cognitive, physical, and
social development are substantial and easily recognizable. During the
grades of five to eight specifically, the need for positive influence is at its
peak, which is where The Chance to Dance plans on getting involved. The
Chance to Dance provides selected underprivileged students with dancing as
an extracurricular activity which can boost their standardized test scores,
provide them with a mentor, and further their intellectual growth as studies
suggest. Though such a program sounds like a dream, The Chance to Dance
can be achieved with reasonable staffing and solid financial backing. Thus,
the only question remaining is, will you give these students a chance to
dance?

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

11

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

12

References
AEP. Arts education state policy summary. (2012). Retrieved March 1, 2015,
from http://www.aep-arts.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/State-of-thestates-2012-FINAL.pdf
*Discount Dance. Child unisex jazz tap shoe. (2015, January).
Discountdance.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
https://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/style_DN980G.html?
pid=2981&Shop=Style&SID=690228889
Elias, M. (2009, January 22). The four keys to helping at-risk kids. Retrieved
March 1, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/strategies-help-at-risk-students
Figure 1. Image of bus route. Adapted from Google Maps, (2015), Edward
cary middle school to Studio 22. Googlemaps.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015
from https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Edward+H+Cary+Middle+School,
+Killion+Drive,+Dallas,+TX/Studio+22,+Preston+Road+%23400,+Dallas,
+TX/@32.9180255,-96.8608953,13z/data=!3m1!
5s0x864c210fdd28a293:0x7edf0a3a70c648f0!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!
1s0x864e9df04701533b:0x4f7ff7571963aebc!2m2!1d-96.847644!
2d32.881924!1m5!1m1!1s0x864c210fe0cd3953:0x660c5dc767d693d8!
2m2!1d-96.802372!2d32.951543!5i1
Figure 2. Image of DISD permission slip form. Adapted from Dallas
independent school district. (2013, September). Dallasisd.org. Retrieved April
9, 2015 from
http://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001475/Centricity/domain/148/administ
rative%20procedures/F4-D%20Field%20Trip%20Permission.pdf
*First Charter Bus. School bus rental cost and booking information. (2015,
January 1).
Firstcharterbus.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
http://www.firstcharterbus.com/rental-costs-and-booking#
Fiske, E. (Ed.) (1999). Champions of change: The impact of the arts on
learning, (1999). Arts Edge. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/champions/pdfs/ChampsReport.pdf
Koughan, F. Middle School Moment. (2012, July 17). Retrieved March 1,

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

13

2015, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/education/dropoutnation/middle-school-moment/

Lake, R. The benefits of dance for kids. (2013, August 20). Retrieved March
1, 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/214791-the-benefits-ofdance-for-kids/
Studio 22 Discount Pricing and Staffing Information. Retrieved March 1, 2015,
from https://studio22dallas.com/about/staff/
Stutz, T. and Tawnell, H. (2008, April 2). Dallas Morning News. Grad rate
formula to be uniform. Retrieved March, 1, 2015 from
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?
s_hidethis=no&p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs
=200&s_siteloc=&s_dispstring=Her%20announcement%20came%20as%20a
%20Washington%20nonprofit%20reported%20alarmingly%20low
%20&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(Her%20announcement
%20came%20as%20a%20Washington%20nonprofit%20reported
%20alarmingly
%20low)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no.
Table 1. Ruppert, S. (2006). How the arts benefit student achievement.
Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/KeyTopics/Arts-Education/critical-evidence.pdf
Table 2. Table of Dallas school district demographics. Adapted from
Annenberg Institute. (2007). Dallas arts learning initiative.
Annenberginstitute.org. Retrieved March 1, 2015 from
http://annenberginstitute.org/pdf/dali.pdf
Texas Tribune. Public Schools Explorer. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://www.texastribune.org/public-ed/explore/dallas-isd
*Walmart, (2015, January). Nestle Waters Bottled Spring Water, 0.5 Liter, 24
Count. Walmart.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nestle-Waters-Bottled-Spring-Water-0.5-Liter-24Count/26690401
*Walmart, (2015, January). Welch's Mixed Fruit Fat Free Fruit Snacks, .9 oz,
22ct..Walmart.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Welch-s-Mixed-Fruit-Fat-Free-Fruit-Snacks-.9-oz-

THE CHANCE TO DANCE

14

22ct/17247711
*Walmart. (2015, January). Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola
Bars, 1.5 oz, 18 count. Walmart.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nature-Valley-Oats-n-Honey-Crunchy-GranolaBars-1.5-oz-18-count/25847929
*sources used to compile Table 6. Budget Expense Breakdown for The
Chance to Dance