BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

A chance to dance

By Anna Glickman, age 17 | August 1, 2016

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Anna Glickman, a rising senior at The Kinkaid School, led a dance camp this summer for students at Walnut Bend Elementary School.

When my mom, Lori Glickman, who’s a volunteer at Walnut Bend Elementary School, told me the kids she works with at school get excited when they see dance videos or hear music, it got me thinking. Dance is an enormous part of my life, whether it be competition rehearsal or just a jam session in the car, and I wanted to give these kids a chance to make it a part of theirs too. So I reached out to the principal and worked to set up a free dance camp for students.

The first day of camp we started by sitting in a circle, and I asked the students, who were all first and second graders, to say their names. We made our way around until one little girl, who was too shy to tell us hers. Luckily, the extroverted classmate next to her decided to jump in and read her friend’s name tag aloud for us. As the day went on, they learned their first ballet moves, and we danced in lines moving across the floor. I could tell how much that girl loved what she was doing, but she still wasn’t comfortable enough to dance or even talk without an assistant by her side.

When we reached the final day of our camp and I asked, “Who wants to be our line leader today?” Her hand shot up and she yelled, “Me! Me!” Much to everyone’s surprise, she led our line and danced solo not only across the floor but also in our “Final Dance Battle.” I couldn’t believe it was the same girl who silently sat in our circle just days before.

Watching her and the confidence she gained in just four days reminded me once again of why I love dance. Each morning the students would come in with proud grins ready to tell me about the practicing they did at home or to show me the ballet steps they remembered. I could see the growth in their level of responsibility and respectfulness of the art form, but mostly in their energy and confidence in themselves. Nothing compares to the joy I felt getting to share what I love with those 19 little dancers while simultaneously being reminded by them of all the reasons why I love it.

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