TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — For dozens of students at Sullivan Elementary, a new pair of ballet shoes is more than just a dance accessory. It's another step in a program designed to bring arts education directly to children who may not otherwise have access to it.
The shoes are part of a larger push to bring arts education directly to children who may not otherwise have access to it.
Watch report from Jada Williams
Plus, it is helping them build confidence, discipline and new ways of expressing themselves.
The Straz Center recently gifted 47 students at Sullivan Elementary with brand-new ballet shoes as part of its ongoing ballet education partnership with the school.
As students laced up their new shoes and practiced first position, pliés and stretches, the excitement in the classroom was easy to see.
At Sullivan Elementary,Metropolitan Ministries' longtime partner school, students don't have to go looking for ballet classes. The Straz Center brings them straight into the classroom.
According to Trisha Stever, community engagement manager at the Straz Patel Conservatory, the partnership has been serving students for roughly two decades.
"This has been a long-running program. It's about 20 years of a partnership with them," Stever said. "It started small and it's grown over the years."
Currently, students in second through fifth grade receive more than two hours of ballet instruction each week. Kindergarten and first-grade students are expected to join the program after the new year.
Stever said the program reflects the Straz Center's mission to bring performing arts opportunities to underserved communities.
"When we bring it to them in their school setting, they don't have to travel anywhere. They don't have to pay for any instruction," she said. "They see that, 'Oh, this could be me. I could be that ballet dancer up on a grand stage.'"
More Than Dance Lessons
While the ballet shoes help students learn proper technique, organizers say the benefits extend far beyond dance.
"The arts give the kids another layer of understanding," Stever said. "Understanding their body, understanding how to express themselves, understanding a different world that may not be exposed to them on a regular basis."
She said many families assume ballet is out of reach because of costs or transportation barriers.
"A lot of people think it's too expensive or it's not for them," Stever said. "When we bring it to them, they see that this can be something they're a part of."
The shoes themselves also play a key role in learning ballet.
"One of the first things you teach a ballet student is how to point their foot, and in sneakers, you don't have that flexibility," Stever said. "Having ballet shoes gives them that flexibility."
She added that ballet shoes help students develop balance and body awareness in ways traditional shoes cannot.
"Standard shoes, boots, sneakers, dress shoes, they help you with your balance," Stever explained. "Ballet shoes point out where it kind of falls, and so they really learn how to balance, how to find their center, how to use their body as a whole to give them that stability to walk through life proud."
A Gift That Keeps Growing
For many students, receiving a properly fitted pair of ballet shoes is an important moment.
"Some of them have had them before, but now their foot has outgrown their old ones," Stever said. "So they get shoes that fit. They get shoes that allow them to point their foot, to stand correctly, to find their balance."
As children grow, she said, having the right equipment helps them continue developing both inside and outside the classroom.
"Having the shoes and the tools really helps them to master and find not only their voice but their style as they move throughout ballet and school in general."
The students say they enjoy learning new skills each week.
"My favorite thing about ballet is that we get to learn new things every day," said Torianna Coney.
Malaysia Johnson said she looks forward to ballet days.
"Like Wednesdays, we come here and do ballet," Johnson said.
Students are also excited to participate in a future performance and share what they've learned with their families.
"Most would like our parents to come and visit us," one student said.
Building Confidence and Community
Stever said the program's benefits often reach beyond the classroom and into students' everyday lives.
"They're learning discipline. They're learning how to stand still. They're learning how to work as a team and how to dance as an ensemble," she said.
She believes those lessons help create stability and community for students that can carry over into life at home.
"They get to be part of that community in class, which then also bleeds into their home life," Stever said.
As someone who grew up dancing, Stever says seeing students get opportunities similar to those she had is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.
"To see these kids be able to get the proper equipment, to be heard, to be seen, it brings me joy," she said. "I love my job. I don't ever feel like it's a grind to come to work because I get to bring the joy of dance and theater to these kids that don't normally have access to it."
At the end of class, students carefully placed their new ballet shoes back into their boxes before heading off to the next part of their day.
The shoes may go back in the box for now, but the lessons, confidence and dreams they represent are just getting started.
Schools, community organizations and arts programs interested in partnering with the Straz Center through its Community Arts Education Program can apply beginning in January through the Straz Center's website.
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