This is week 2 of the Performing Festival of Arts at the Bliss Center but have you ever wondered how much work the young performers at the festival put into their night on the Bliss stage?
Well it takes a great deal of hard work and of course talent but it also requires dedication. And the dedication of a group of high school students to dancing is what caught our attention to the "Hearts of Inspiration" dance group, which will have its moment on stage tomorrow night. What's so special about this group? Well Keith Swift stopped in at rehearsals today.
Keith SwiftReporting,
They look like a troop of professional dancers but these kids are really just high schoolers who under the instruction of Joseph Stamp are using the discipline of dance to harness their educational potential.
Joseph Stamp, Dance Group Coordinator
"I personally get a lot of motivation from dancing. I think it builds your self-esteem and a lot people, especially parents, tend to think that dancing is a distraction but its anything it is like sports it builds your self-esteem, it gives you motivation and they can take that same thing that they learn from dance into the classroom."
And they do study even if it is just between breaks of high-energy dances.
[Student Dancers studying]
The 9 dancers, 8 females and one male, form the "Hearts of Inspiration" youth dance group. And the name fits because apart from being teenagers the only other thing that brings these dancers together is a love of the art.
Natasha Hernandez, Dancer
"Dancing is something that I like to do so it really occupies my time instead of going home and doing nothing like idleness so it occupies my time and it makes me feel great because it is a part of working out too so..."
Heather Turner, Dancer
"I love to be seen and I just love moving, I am very energetic."
Jezell Lauriano, Dancer
"I really love dancing and I learn a lot from this dance group like the determination to want to be first; you want to be the best and in the classroom that will really help you because if you want to be the best and you want to come in first in your class then I think it is good."
Leesha Pollard, Dancer
"It's fun, its very very fun, it takes a lot of practice, and once you're fit you can make it...well actually it takes time too. But also I think I am fit as you can see."
The lone male in the troop of 9 is Wesley high's Shane Thompson and sure most men would consider themselves lucky to be among 8 females but he just considers himself gifted.
Shane Thompson, Dancer
"Being in this dance group is what I like most. I like everything about dancing: the hard work first of all and the acknowledgements as well."
Keith Swift,
"Any pressure being the only male in the group?"
Shane Thompson,
"Nope not all. Everybody dance together you know we have fun."
These high schoolers are putting in an extra 3 hours a day in preparation for their performance at the Festival of Arts tomorrow when they'll debut this African piece called "Remember the Motherland." They hope to win but for these youths it isn't everything.
Jezell Lauriano,
"Yes I think we will gold but if we don't I just think that means we need to put in more work."
Natasha Hernandez,
"Noh really anybody could take dancing as a hobby or something because the dancing which I do I really like it; it really help me a lot."
Joesph Stamp,
"It's challenging but the good thing about it is that each person comes on their motive, each person comes to learn dancing and that's make it easier but its difficult because sometimes it can get a little bit crazy."
Leesha Pollard,
"To me the best thing about being in this dance group is to show other people about what you can do, what you can perform.
And so good are these dancers that tried to teach me some of their moves.
[Keith trying to dance and failing miserably.]
With that, it's obvious why they are the professionals and I'm just the reporter.
You can see the Hearts of Inspiration at the Festival tomorrow night.