Most of the 15 middle-school girls on the at the are at that coltish stage of adolescence, standing hipshot, with lined eyes that miss nothing.
A year ago, these girls spent most of their time in the rec center’s bathroom, gossiping and (and sometimes some punches). When an opportunity for funding a youth program through the Youth-Driven Healthy Recreation Center Collective came up, rec center director Michael McClure seized the chance to reach those girls.
“We took their negative quirks and turned them into something they could focus on,” McClure said. And that something is a hip-hop/Bollywood-infused dance team.
“When we surveyed the girls, they said they were interested in beauty and dance. Well, buying them a bunch of make-up was not going to happen. But this grant would work for a dance program.”
Working with dancer and instructor , McClure bought a new audio system, mirrors and tumbling mats, and announced that twice-a-week rehearsals would begin in January.
Between five and seven girls showed up for practice on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons when classes ended at nearby Wyatt Academy and Cole Middle School.
Isha Carter, 12, was one of them. She didn’t like the drama playing out daily in the bathroom. Slight but muscular, she was intrigued by the dance team as a replacement for the gymnastics she had to give up after bruising her coccyx.
“I’ve always wanted to dance since I was a little girl,” she said.
“I thought it was pretty cool when I saw the fliers. Choreography relates to my gymnastics floor routine, and I knew the dancing would help keep me in shape.”
Trinity Washington was another of the first converts. She is a born dancer who moves like a feline, sliding her shoulders over her hips. Even her cornrowed hair seems animated.
“Dancing makes me feel happy,” she said.
“It takes all my burdens off.”
Trinity, Isha and other girls worked out with Gupta twice a week for two hours at a time. They did physical drills like lunges and squats to develop their stamina, as well as polishing hip-hop and Bollywood moves.
As time passed, they noticed changes in the group chemistry. Girls who once balked at coming to practice twice a week began asking for more. They started rehearsing at the rec center even when Gupta wasn’t there.
Instead of bad-mouthing one another, they started helping each other with dance moves and homework. Because they knew that slipping grades or skipping school risked their spot on the dance team, the girls monitored each other.
“The dance team has kept me on track,” said Keyaushya Jackson-Dennis, 14, an eighth-grade student at a short walk from the St. Charles Rec Center.
“I find myself thinking about the dance team all the time I am at home, practicing on my own, and helping my sister Kyntashia with the dances. I text my teammates at all hours about the parts of the dances we need to focus on. I feel like I have become a leader, calming arguments between the girls, and keeping my teammates from fighting and getting into trouble at school, because we can’t lose them from the team.”
That dynamic is as important as the new muscles that the girls are noticing, says Gupta.
“They’re stronger, and definitely they’re more cohesive as a group,” she said.
“That’s important at this age, when girls tend to hit that marginalizing point just before high school. Some of the girls are noticeably more flexible, and their physical stamina has increased. Being on a team gives them a sense of belonging in a positive way.
“For these kids, if you’re not on a team or playing a sport, you’re going to wind up doing something gang-related, or falling in with the wrong group of friends. Now they have the responsibility of a dance team. They can say, ‘I can’t; I have rehearsal.’ They have something to focus on other than their phones or making poor choices.”
During rehearsals, all cellphones are lined up against the gym wall, next to the audio system blasting hip-hop or Bollywood tunes. The pain of surrendering their electronic pals is mitigated by learning new routines, or getting to try on the featherweight Bollywood costumes Gupta carries in from her own collection.
When the dance team realized that its grant funding would expire at the end of May, the girls begged Gupta to keep the program alive. So Gupta and McClure approached the and , seeking help. Both offered enough assistance to keep the program going through summer.
The dance team will perform at the next month, and at the .
“We have accomplished so much since January, and new girls want to join,” Gupta said.
“Maybe these girls aren’t going to pursue dance as a career, but they have other options than being on stage. The grant included nutritional counseling, and they’ve shown great leadership. They’ve learned what dance and community can do together.”
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477, cmartin@denverpost.com or twitter.com/byclairemartin
