Crazy rhythm
Four kids storm a dance program in Santa Fe and show what boys can do
Boys playing sports is, of course, a desirable physical activity in our society.
But boys dancing? That may not be as widely accepted.
George Ancona’s new book for young readers, “Boys Dancing — From School Gym to Theater Stage,” shows that dance doesn’t have to be limited by gender.
The book’s text and photographs follow four boys — Ely, Raptor, Logan and Ryan — who participated in National Dance Institute of New Mexico’s programs in Santa Fe.
One program is the Boys Ballet Boot Camp, held after school for eight weeks each school year at The Dance Barns in Santa Fe.
“The Boot Camp is specifically for boys ranging in age from 9 to 12. Usually, there are eight to 15 boys in the class each year,” said Allegra Lillard, the NDI New Mexico staff member who directs the after-school programs at The Dance Barns.
“It’s a class intended to engage boys and give them a taste of ballet,” Lillard said. “We do stretches, pushups, chinups, jumps and turns — things we know boys would like to do, but it’s also introducing them to ballet in a boy-friendly manner.”
The boys learn ballet steps and exercises at the barre.
The Boot Camp helps break down social barriers, said Liz Salganek, NDI New Mexico’s artistic director, and it promotes interest in its ongoing afterschool dance classes in ballet, jazz, tap and modern.
“Boys Dancing” has several pages about the Boot Camp and about a tap dance class for older students. However, the book is largely focused on the NDI New Mexico outreach dance program for hundreds of elementary school boys and girls throughout the school year. NDI New Mexico partners with public schools to offer the program as part of the school day.
Ancona photographed the youngsters in the Santa Fe outreach program from the fall, when they start to learn the dance routines to May, when they perform in showcases for the public.
The showcase spotlighted in Ancona’s book was presented two years ago. It was called “Imagine the Possibilities, A Celebration of Reading.”
Ancona’s text says it had 22 acts that celebrate famous books through song and dance. The young singer-dancers were backed by a live band.
One book is Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” As part of the presentation, boys were trained in stage combat. Dressed as pirates, they were taught to fake fistfights.
NDI New Mexico offers the same outreach program in Albuquerque, in the Española Valley and in many rural communities around the state, Salganek said. Boys Ballet Boot Camp is also offered at Albuquerque’s Hiland Theater as part of NDI New Mexico’s after-school programming serving ages 3 through 18.
Ancona, a Santa Fe resident, said he wished he had the chance to learn dance as a youngster. “I lived in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn, so I wasn’t dancing,” he recalled.
Ancona said he’s been a ballroom dancer for many decades.
The culminating events for NDI New Mexico’s Santa Fe and Albuquerque outreach programs take place from the last week of April through the second week of May. For more information, visit www. ndi-nm.org.