Using award-winning National Dance Institute teaching techniques created nearly 40 years ago by former New York City Ballet dancer Jacques d’Amboise, Kids Excel El Paso’s energetic and dynamic dance program teaches students how to work hard, strive for their personal best and never give up.
KEEP’s purpose and vision is to impart excellence, enhance the educational experience of children, improve academic performance, deliver high-quality, outcomes-oriented programming, serve children in need and improve quality of life.
“We have received so much positive feedback from parents,” said KEEP Executive Director Courtney Elam. “They say their kids are trying out for orchestra and choir.”
Recognized as one of the finest classical dancers of our time, Jacques has dedicated much of his life to helping children learn and be inspired by dance. The documentary film about Jacques and the National Dance Institute, “He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’,” won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1983 and an Emmy in 1984 for Best Children’s Programming.
Grants such as the one for $1,825 from the Sundt Foundation enable KEEP to serve 2,800 children in 32 elementary schools during the 2015-2016 school year. Instructors visit each school once a week to teach 45 minute sessions.
Because of El Paso’s proximity to the Mexican border, nearly half of the students in the program speak limited English, putting them at a disadvantage. Courtney also said it’s sometimes difficult to secure funding in her part of the country.
“It’s very important to find diversified funding sources,” she said. “We want companies that do business in El Paso to know that what we’re doing matters.”
This article is part of a series of stories about the positive impacts of Sundt Foundation grants.
