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October 11, 2007 - The Jefferson Picayune
Dancer Finds Her Rhythm at Hope Haven
By Melinda Morris
The fledgling ballroom dance teacher moved about the group of students, offering encouragement, flashing a friendly smile and demonstrating the male and female parts with equal skill.
The teacher, Danisha, just started dancing in February. Not only that, she's 16 -- and a resident of Hope Haven Center, a treatment program in Marrero for children and teens who have mild to serious behavioral, educational, emotional and/or family problems.
Victoria Mendoza, who is training Danisha to be a dance instructor, said that when she started teaching ballroom dancing to Hope Haven's residents, she noticed the teen picked up ballroom quickly. There is no reason Danisha can't continue with her dance studies, take exams and become a certified ballroom dance teacher, said Mendoza, who donates extra time to train Danisha.
Danisha, who said her favorite dance is the merengue because, "I like to move my hips," said she wants to own her own studio someday. Mendoza, who also started dancing eight years ago at age 16, uses Danisha to help her demonstrate moves and to guide the other students.
Ellen Lee, program director at Hope Haven, a Catholic Charities ministry of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said the weekly ballroom class is teaching Danisha and others "discipline -- to stick to something that doesn't come naturally. You're not born knowing how to dance."
In addition, the class teaches teamwork and "appropriate social interaction with the opposite sex," Lee said. "It gives them a chance to help each other."
Participating in the class is a privilege that must be earned, Lee said.
Residents must demonstrate appropriate behavior to be allowed to participate.
During a recent class, the middle and high school students in jeans, T-shirts, sneakers and flip-flops teamed up in pairs to work on fox trot, rumba and tango.
One boy studiously watched his feet as he guided his partner through the rumba. She tossed her brunette hair over her shoulder as she turned to beam at Lee and said, "See? I told you I'd catch on."
The idea for the class originated last year when several of the girls at Hope Haven watched the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom," about a public school program in New York City, Lee said. The students asked her, "Miss Ellen, why can't we do something like that?"
Lee started researching on the Internet, which eventually led her to Kerry Lovell, president of the Louisiana-Gumbo chapter of USA Dance, an association that promotes ballroom dancing. Lovell said that typically the association provides only start-up money to school ballroom dance programs but because Hope Haven isn't a typical recipient, USA Dance has been financially supporting the program since February.
To help keep the classes going, USA Dance is sponsoring a benefit called "Dance for Hope" on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Jefferson Orleans North, 2600 Edenborn Ave., Metairie. The event will feature a live orchestra. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door. A quilt of the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold, pieced by the Virginia Reels Quilt Guild, will be raffled for $5 a chance. For more information about the benefit, go to www.usabdanola.org.
For those who would like to support the dance program at Hope Haven but who can't make the benefit, Lovell said donations can be sent to USA Dance, Louisiana-Gumbo Chapter 5031, P.O. Box 7788, Metairie, LA 70010-7788. Checks should be made payable to USA Dance.
Lee said she also hopes to buy Danisha a pair of professional ballroom dance shoes.
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