Ballet Gains A Toehold

After prying off their sneakers and slipping on dance shoes, the students at Metropolitan Ministries Academy formed straight lines and stood at attention.

"No jelly arms!" instructed Julio Montano, a teacher for Orlando Ballet School. "Point!"

Straightening their posture and bowing their arms at attention, the youngsters furrowed their brows in concentration.

"No heavy elbows. No shaking," Montano said. "Who's shaking?"

The discipline comes with a smile, as the students work hard to impress their teacher. Offered through a partnership with the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Patel Conservatory, the free ballet instruction and field trips to see shows at the center augment the academy's physical education and art classes.

This is the second year for the ballet classes, which are held at the nearby Bob Gilbertson Central City Family YMCA. Drama and music are new this year at the academy, 110 E. Palm Ave.

"They are being exposed to the finest training possible," said Wendy Leigh, the conservatory's vice president of education and humanities.

Leigh said ballet teaches endurance, coordination, flexibility and discipline. It also is a good release.

"Seeing the joy in that hour of ballet in their lives, it takes them away from whatever life experience they are facing," she said.

About 50 of the charter school's students come from the surrounding community, with 30 coming from Metropolitan Ministries' shelter, which assists the poor and homeless. All qualify for free lunches.

When Principal Thom Laux came to the academy last year, adding structure to the school's physical education program was on his to-do list. Members of the arts center and conservatory toured the school, and the partnership was born.

Laux, a runner and soccer player who took ballet for the benefits of flexibility, loved the idea.

The day he introduced it to the fourth- and fifth-graders, he brought along his ballet slippers and took part in the class with the students.

"Patel is wonderful," he said. "I bow to them for all they are doing for us for free. If they didn't do this, 98 percent of our school would never get the chance."

Fourth-grader Alyssa Blackmon, 10, said, "I like taking ballet because it's a fun experience for all of us."

Classmate Joshua Hall, 10, contorted his body into a pretzel shape in a stretch used in warm-up before class.

"We get to put our legs behind our heads," Hall said proudly, giggling and smiling.

SLIPPER DRIVE

New ballet slippers are provided to students at Metropolitan Ministries Academy through donations. To donate, call the Patel Conservatory at (813) 222-6411.