American Ballroom Theater Dancing Classrooms
New York City-based American Ballroom Theater’s (ABrT) Dancing Classrooms is the nonprofit organization that has been providing instruction in American-style ballroom dance to currently over 60 public schools in New York City. The program was introduced in two schools 10 years ago. In 10 weeks (20 one-hour sessions) the kids absorb a repertoire that includes the merengue, foxtrot, rumba, tango, swing and a couple of line dances thrown in just for fun.
The schools are then given the choice to compete. These competitions (quarterfinals, semifinals and final) are called Rainbow Team Matches. About 48 schools choose to compete and only nine (one representative from each borough) make it to the final competition. Each dance team is made up of five couples, one for each of the five dances, and one alternate couple who must know how to do every dance well in case a couple is absent.
Read more about this topic: Mad Hot Ballroom
Famous quotes containing the words american, theater and/or dancing:
“The reason American cars don’t sell anymore is that they have forgotten how to design the American Dream. What does it matter if you buy a car today or six months from now, because cars are not beautiful. That’s why the American auto industry is in trouble: no design, no desire.”
—Karl Lagerfeld (b. 1938)
“The theater needs continual reminders that there is nothing more debasing than the work of those who do well what is not worth doing at all.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)
“Dance is bigger than the physical body. ...When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers, because you’re dancing bigger than that; you’re dancing spirit.”
—Judith Jamison (b. 1943)