By Tara Keating, BalletX

“Ms. Tara?”, one of the 4^th grade dancers whispers into my ear. “I’ve been practicing my steps every night at home before I go to bed. Can I show you?” She proceeds to demonstrate the entire “Superstition” dance to Stevie Wonder that we’ve been working on all by herself, and she doesn’t miss a beat. It put a smile on my face to feel her enthusiasm, and to see how far our Dance eXchange DREAM Team dancers have come in just 9 weeks.

From our first training session with the incredible team from the National Dance Institute, it’s been an amazing journey. We’ll have spent a total of 11 weeks at Andrew Jackson Elementary, working with a group of 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students every Tuesday and Thursday, culminating in our final performance May 22^nd. I have to say, these children have a truly earned a special place in my heart. Getting to know their individual personalities, learning about their cultural backgrounds and witnessing them take on the challenges of each class is really what it’s all about.

One of the biggest rewards for me personally has been experiencing these children, many who have never been exposed to dance before, come alive in a way they probably never thought possible. They’re sweating, smiling, counting music, and learning challenging choreography. The confidence and discipline that they are building, us dancers know are traits they will carry with them in all aspects of their lives. We can’t wait for the final performance and for their families to see just how much they’ve accomplished. I’m proud and honored to have been a part of the launch of Dance eXchange, and I look forward to the impact the program will have as we bring it further into the Philadelphia community.

May 22, 2014 6:30-7:15pm Caplan Center for the Performing Arts Terra Hall University of the Arts 211 S. Broad Street, 16/17th Floorshiladelphia, PA This performance is free and open to the public

Tara Keating with some of Andrew Jackson’s Dance eXchange DREAM Team

Tara Keating is BalletX’s Associate Artistic Director. Tara began her dance training at the age of seven at the Pioneer Valley Ballet in Northampton, Massachusetts. She attended The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where she received a BFA in Dance. She has danced professionally with American Repertory Ballet, “Tharp!,” and as a soloist with Pennsylvania Ballet. In 2005, she became a founding member of BalletX and danced in nearly every performance until her retirement in 2012. Throughout her career she originated roles in world premieres by renowned choreographers such as Jorma Elo, Alex Ketley, Matthew Neenan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Christopher Wheeldon. She has staged numerous ballets on BalletX and has set Neenan’s work on Pennsylvania Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Bucknell University. Alongside her role at BalletX, Tara is on faculty at various schools in the region. Dance eXchange has been made possible by support from the 2013 Knight Arts Challenge, a program of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and PECO, lead corporate sponsor, as well as by additional grants from the Leo Model Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Zeldin Family Foundation, and the Virginia & Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Special thanks to University of the Arts, performance partner.