Fifth grade students from John Muir Elementary, Webster Elementary and Will Rogers Learning Community compete in the Ballroom MADNESS Elementary School Team Match at Santa Monica High School's Barnum Hall on Friday, December 11, 2009. They competed in the meringue, foxtrot, rumba, tango, swing and waltz. Webster Elementary came in first place, Will Rogers Learning Community was second place and John Muir Elementary came in third place. Ballroom MADNESS school dance was a ten-week program.
The students, who study the geography and cultures of the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Cuba, Eastern Europe and the U.S., write essays about their first impressions and finally, what they learned throughout the program, giving them an appreciation for a much larger world.
Ballroom MADNESS is a nonprofit organization that brings ballroom dance to under-served school children. A truly transformative experience, Ballroom MADNESS fosters respect and teamwork in classmates by teaching them to work together to build a solid foundation of trust and partnership. The program provides students with a creative and expressive artistic outlet within an environment that is safe and constructive, during school hours. Since its inception in 2007, more than 600 children in 12 Southern California schools have been inspired to be the best at something— they have learned they are important and that their actions matter.
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