Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap 10th Anniversary Competition
2,200 area young people to participate in citywide competition
Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap. Photo by Mark Frohna.
MILWAUKEE… Twenty-two hundred local 4th through 6th graders from 43 schools—40 of those schools from MPS—will take center stage at The BMO Harris Bradley Center on May 21 in the tenth annual, citywide Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap (Mad Hot) Competition. The Mad Hot Competition draws the community together unlike any other event. This fun-filled and family friendly event takes place all day—kicking off at 9:30 a.m. and lasting until approximately 4:30 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, located at 1001 N. 4th Street in downtown Milwaukee. This event is free and open to the public, and guests are welcome to come and go during the day as they please.
The first heat of the Tap competition begins at approximately 9:30 a.m.—showcasing Funky, Latin and Swing styles of Tap. The final round of the Tap competition is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. The Ballroom competition will start at approximately 1:30 p.m and features Paso Doble, Swing and Samba, with the final round of the Ballroom competition taking place at approximately 4:30 p.m.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of this transformational program. Since the program’s inception in 2006, over 21,000 city youth have been positively impacted by the joy, health and creativity Danceworks brings to our city through Mad Hot.
Modeled after the successful New York City schools program featured in the hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, Danceworks Mad Hot engages students in the classroom by incorporating arts education into the school day that wouldn’t otherwise be there. Mad Hot promotes students’ social and emotional development, while increasing their respect for self and others as well as their physical activity.
Students receive 24 hours of instruction from professional teaching artists over 12 weeks—plus three weeks of teambuilding exercises prior to the program. The majority of schools are located in low-income neighborhoods of the city (please see list below).
“Danceworks Mad Hot’s dance steps get our city’s youth stepping in the right direction—helping them become more socially and emotionally competent and more physically active during the school day,” said Danceworks Executive Director Deborah Farris.
“We have found that once students try dance through Danceworks Mad Hot, most discover that they’re good at it and that they like it. This experience connects them to their classmates and radiates into other areas of their lives,” Farris continued. “Teachers tell us that Mad Hot provides students with a venue for success, builds their self-esteem and creates teamwork within the classroom.”
“Ultimately, we believe that Mad Hot helps students grow into healthy, confident individuals who have a positive impact on our community.”
ALBA Elementary
Auer Avenue School
Benjamin Franklin School
Bethune Academy
Brown Street Academy
Browning School
Clarke Street School
Clement Avenue School
Cooper School
Craig Montessori School
Doerfler School
Eighty First Street School*
Elm Creative Arts School
Elm Dale
Forest Home Avenue School
Fratney School
Greenfield (Bilingual) School
Hampton School
Hartford University School
J.W. Riley
Keefe Avenue
Kilbourn Elementary School
Kluge School
Lloyd Barbee Montessori
Lowell Elementary
MacDowell Montessori School
#Milwaukee College Prep-36th Street#
Milwaukee College Prep-38th Street
Milwaukee College Prep-Lloyd Street*
Milwaukee Environmental Sciences School
Milwaukee French Immersion School
Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts
Neeskara School
Notre Dame School of Milwaukee
Pierce School
Roosevelt Elementary School
Sherman Multicultural Arts School
Siefert School
Story School
Trowbridge School
Vieau School
Westside Academies I and II
Danceworks, Inc., enhances the joy, health and creativity of our community through performances, classes and outreach activities integrating dance and other art forms. Danceworks is a member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF).
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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