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Pacific Ballroom Dance 

Description

Pacific Ballroom Dance is a social development and arts education organization that uses the medium of ballroom dance to teach young people confidence, teamwork, and joy.

Pacific Ballroom Dance believes that every student should have access to arts education that includes dance.

Mission Statement
Pacific Ballroom Dance builds character in youth by providing a positive ballroom dance experience.

Vision
To provide youth with a positive artistic, social, and athletic experience designed to help them become productive community members.

Values
Leadership, Teamwork, Fitness, Respect, Inclusiveness, Dedication, and Excellence
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Pacific Ballroom Dance
1604 15th St SW 
Auburn 
WA
98001 
(253) 939-6524 

Heather Longhurst 
Executive Director 

Programs

Pacific Ballroom Dance Programs

Dancing Classrooms
Dancing Classrooms builds social awareness, confidence and self-esteem in children through the practice of social dance.  Through standards-based, in-school residencies, we use the vocabulary of ballroom dance to cultivate the positive feelings that are inherent in every child.  The maturity necessary to dance together fosters respect, teamwork, confidence and a sense of joy and accomplishment which we hope to bring to every child.  Ballroom dance is the medium we use to nurture these qualities.  Find out more about Dancing Classrooms at www.dancingclassroomsseattle.com.

Our Company
Any young person age 9 to 18 can join the Pacific Ballroom Dance Company. We have five teams where students are placed according to their varying ages and ability levels. Students on teams learn to believe in themselves, to create synergy with a partner and with the group as a whole, and to express themselves as individuals.

Pacific Ballroom serves the community at large by providing dozens of free or inexpensive performances each year. These performances provide access to the arts for thousands of people, young people in particular, throughout the Puget Sound region.

Our Academy
Pacific Ballroom Dance also offers world-class ballroom instruction for individual couples. Students are given the opportunity to take medals exams and receive certification when they reach various levels of proficiency.  These certifications are recognized worldwide

Through our Academy we offer classes at all levels and have something for all students, whether they want to dance just for fun or one day become a professional dancer.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Recent Successes
In 2010, we launched our Dancing Classrooms pilot program with 8 local classrooms participating.  The project was a tremendous success, with children starting out exclaiming "I'm NEVER going to ballroom dance!" and then transforming into elegant ladies and gentlemen.  At some schools we even received reports of parents driving by and seeing the children dancing on the playground at recess--evidence that dance had truly become a part of their lives.

Also in 2010, we finished the renovation of our studio in Auburn, which has had an enormous impact on the quality of our teams, classes, and overall program.


Current Needs
Our goal is to bring Dancing Classrooms to every 5th grader in the Puget Sound region!  We'd love your help to get us there!

Evaluation


Combining ballroom dance instruction and competition (regional and national) with youth development, Pacific Ballroom Dance (PBD) operates as a social development and arts education organization. PBD serves students in the South Puget Sound region and beyond, as well as the community at large with dozens of free or low-cost performances each year.

Use of Best Practices
PBD’s approach focuses on the team experience more than on individual competition. Participants learn soft-skills like how to handle responsibility in group settings, the importance of punctuality and preparation, and the benefits of community service.

The Dancing Classrooms program is based on a national program founded by Pierre Dulaine. PBD has teaching artists trained and licensed by Mr. Dulaine, and is implementing the program that has been tested nationwide in a variety of schools.

Accessibility and Cultural Competency
PBD is committed to providing scholarships to all students who need them. Last year, approximately 20% of all participants received full or partial scholarships. They launched their pilot of the national Dancing Classrooms program, a curriculum for bringing ballroom dance into elementary school classrooms in an effort to increase access to the arts.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
There are no recent grants awarded to this organization.

Financials

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