ALBANY- An organization in the Capital Region is striving to bring the art of ballroom dancing to the future leaders of the world. When picturing children dancing, images of tutus, tap shoes and sequined costumes come to mind. But, imagine a fifth or sixth-grader learning how to dance an elegant waltz or a passionate tango.

            Dance Crazy is a group of local and professional ballroom dancers encouraging students to learn ballroom dancing as an after school activity to eventually perform in a competition. Dance Crazy was inspired by the achievements of the children in New York City ballroom dance program called “Dancing Classrooms.”

Dance Crazy has designed a ballroom dance program similar to Dancing Classrooms, but Dance Crazy’s program has been modified in order to fit with the resources available in the area.

            Founder and president Susan Robbiano has developed a dance curriculum to teach students the fundamentals of ballroom dancing in a kid friendly way. Robbiano also hopes the program will encourage children to discover themselves as unique individuals in a completely unexpected way.

Largely supported by Arthur Murray, a ballroom dance franchise, Dance Crazy has turned to the owner of the Latham studio to develop this program.

            Jennifer Girard, owner and franchisee of Arthur Murray dance studio in Latham, has been a part of Dance Crazy since its first year in January 2006. Girard passionately works to further develop the program by serving as the Artistic Director, a member of the board of directors, and one of the professional instructors.

            Together, Robbiano and Girard collaborated to create a syllabus and a mission statement to make this program appealing to fifth and sixth-graders in local elementary schools.

            During the first year of the program, Girard was beside herself with emotion as she watched the change in her students.

            “To watch a child walk up to another student or even an adult and ask them to dance politely is so rewarding,” Girard said.

            The program runs from January through May. This year, Dance Crazy has chosen five schools for the 2007 session: Martin Luther Magnet school in Schenectady, Albany School of Humanities, A.W. Becker Elementary School in Selkirk, PB Coeymans Elementary and Yates Magnet school in Schenectady.

A competition in May is then held for the six best couples from all the schools. The competition is scheduled for the first week in May and will give the students a chance to demonstrate their skills in front of certified judges.

The other students aren’t excluded from performing. In fact, a fundraiser at the Franklin Plaza will be held where all the students are invited to dance for their families and friends on April 24th.

 Last year, Van Rensselaer Middle School and Ichabod Crane participated in the programs trial run.

            Ideally, Girard would like the program to run in five schools each 10-week session with about 15 girls and boys from each school. However, last year with only two schools involved, there were between 40 and 50 children dancing there after school hours away.

            It isn’t possible for only Robbiano and Girard to run the program alone. They leave much of the individual lesson teaching to their group of professional teachers from the Capital Region.

            Lynzee Finney, a professional instructor at Arthur Murray in Latham, volunteers her time to bring Dance Crazy into more classrooms. 

“It’s cool to see little kids work on something and see the expressions on their faces once they have accomplished it,” Finney said.

Finney immediately volunteered when the announcement came for professional teachers. She’s teaching at the PB Coeymans Elementary School.

            Both Girard and Finney agree that the feedback from the students as well as the community has made the process all worth while. Finney recalled the one lesson that she taught last year where after spending time with one shy couple, they were able to master the jitterbug better than any other students.

Parents also gave overwhelming praise as they watched their children dance at a local dinner where the students were asked to perform.

“Not only had they seen the difference in their children’s behavior, but their confidence as well,” Girard said with a smile.

            Social differences were also evident in the students after their six weeks of ballroom dance training. By learning the history of the dances and the styling, the children demonstrated a level of maturity that most people don’t learn until later in life.

            After one successful year, Dance Crazy is looking forward to showing the children of the Capital Region that ballroom dance are for the young at heart, no matter how old you are.

            The popularity of ballroom dancing is spreading. Whether you want to credit  ABC’s hit television series “Dancing with the Stars” or just on the desire for people to try something new, the aspiration to get on the dance floor is growing.

            Ann Neilson, Director of the Physical Education department at the College of Saint Rose, has been teaching a ballroom and folk dance class as an option for the student’s physical education requirement.

            “The course has been a part of the department for about 20 years and I have always taught it,” Neilson said.

            Agreeing that the television show has had some influence on the enrollment in the class, Neilson said the ballroom dancing course has always been popular at Saint Rose.

“The objectives of the course state that the students will learn a variety of ballroom dances, ranging from polka to jitterbug.”

Being a part of an organization that teaches children something they most likely will never learn is incredibly rewarding. Dance Crazy brings the opportunity to a young generation in hopes to make a difference in their lives.

“This is an important time to reach out to children,” Girard said. “Dancing is an outlet to be oneself and that is what Dance Crazy provides.”