Students fight jitters during first day of ballroom dancing class: Cleveland’s Promise

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Instead of the usual blocks of four, the desks in Ms. Mary Hejnal’s fifth-grade classroom are pushed against the walls to create space for the students, who are standing in two concentric circles.

The first lesson of this year’s Dancing Classrooms program has just started and there are already mixed emotions throughout the room. Although Mikayla has been looking forward to today since returning from winter break, Isabella’s apprehension is palpable. She doesn’t have much experience dancing and is worried she’s not going to do well when she participates. But then one of their instructors, Ms. Jo Jo Carcioppolo, asks the class her first question