Santa Monica High School student Bronte Burnette, 16, changes the marquee sign at SAMOHI on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. There will be a pep rally this friday.

Lenny Hoops kicks heads into the bucket at the Santa Monica Boardwalk on Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Ballroom Madness 2012 - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

Sixty talented 5th  grade students from Six teams of ten students each from Edison, Franklin, John Muir, Pt. Dume, Roosevelt, and Webster Elementary Schools compete in the 3^rd annual  Ballroom MADNESS Elementary School Team Match at Santa Monica High School's Barnum Hall on Monday, January 23, 2012. The students competed in the meringue, foxtrot, rumba, tango, swing and waltz.  Roosevelt Elementary school came in first place, Pt. Dume came in second place and Edison came in third place.

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.

 “I know how dance positively enriched my life and I wanted to offer children an opportunity to express their creativity in a setting that fosters respect, teamwork and accomplishment, ‘one step at a time’, said Jane Dorian, the group’s executive director and co-founder.”  I was compelled to create Ballroom MADNESS when I observed a family at lunch—each member was plugged into some electronic device. I thought ‘why don’t they connect to each other?’

Dorian and co-founder Daniel Ponickly, created the arts education program two years ago from their shared passion for dance. Dorian, a founding member of Center Dance Arts at the L.A.’s Music Center, danced in the national company of “Hello Dolly” and numerous films and television shows. Ponickly taught dance in New York’s inner city public schools and was a Senior Teaching Artist with American Ballroom Theater’s “Dancing Classrooms Program,” the group profiled in the documentary, “Mad Hot Ballroom.”

“Our program is great for all students,” said Ponickly, “but it is especially gratifying when we can serve urban kids—teaching them social and partnership skills, while providing them with a positive alternative to gangs and street-life.” 

The duo train a corps of dance teachers who work with the kids in the structure and familiar environment of their regular classroom during their school day. Twice a week in a one-hour session, the kids dance meringue, foxtrot, rumba, tango, swing and waltz. 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.



Children “fish” during California's fourth annual Underwater Parks Day at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium on Saturday, January 21, 2012. Underwater Parks Day is a day to celebrate the work California has done to protect some of the best  areas of our coast through the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) and celebrate our great fortune at living in such a unique and beautiful place.

A person looks at ceramic sculptor of an engine entitled, “Static Fuel #4” by artist Steven Montgomery at Art Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair at  Barker Hangar on Saturday, January 21, 2012.

Cirque du Soleil's OVO - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

The cast ofCirque du Soleil perform under the Grand Chapiteau (big top) during dress rehearsal of OVO at the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, January 19, 2012. The show runs through March 25.

Judy Chicago’s 25 tons dry ice sculptures featured during the opening of the Art Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair at The Barker Hangar on Thursday, January 19, 2012. The show runs through January 22.

Flick Junior protests against SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) at  Main Street on Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

Activists argue that the bill would threaten prosperity, online security, and freedom of expression and give the government too much power to shut down Web sites accused of copyright violations even if they are later found to be innocent of the charges.