Dance Program for Elementary School Students: A Story of Giving Back and Finding Joy

Julia and students from Anne Hutchinson practicing the performance

My name is Julia Katsoris and I am a sophomore at Eastchester High School and a dancer at Studio B Dance Center in Westchester County, New York. This Summer, I came up with the idea to volunteer and start a dance program at the Anne Hutchinson Elementary School, the primary school I graduated from five years ago, to teach the students a dance that they would later perform at a nursing home for the holidays. I taught a group of eight girls over a two month period in preparation for the performance. Many of the girls had no prior dance experience and were new to the concept of learning a dance with the objective of later performing it in front of an audience; however, the dancers showed up each week, put in the effort, and when it came time to take the stage, experienced great success.

This experience has been so fulfilling and being able to witness the progress of each dancer week after week has been incredibly rewarding; in addition, using my passion to inspire others has given me an overwhelming sense of joy and accomplishment. After the students performed at the nursing home, we were able to converse with residents and the students gave them holiday cards they had made earlier in the week. It is so important to teach children early on about the importance of giving back to ensure that these values are being instilled in them as they emerge into adolescence and young adulthood. Having the opportunity to do this project is something I am extremely grateful for and it has helped me realize the direct correlation between making a difference in someone else’s life and reaping the benefits in your own life. Each week I found myself looking forward to when I would teach the girls and I had started counting down the days until their performance at the nursing home in excitement and anticipation. I have become a more sensitive and compassionate person because of this experience and I look forward to continuing this program for more years to come!

The Loukoumi Foundation “Making A Difference Through The Arts” program was made possible by the statewide community Regrants program, a regrant program of the New York State Council of the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State legislature, and administered by ArtsWestchester