The Dance for Joy program, aimed towards students in third to fifth grade who live in Port Washington and whose parents have trouble affording dance lessons, was founded last September by 16-year-old Michelle Wasserman, a senior at Great Neck North High School.  Wasserman’s goal is for students to discover their abilities and gifts without the burden of financial constraints. 

The idea was created during the COVID pandemic when all classes became remote.  Wasserman was stuck practicing dance in her room instead of going to her studio.  After hearing many stories of families who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, Wasserman thought of ways to give back to the community and decided to give free dance classes. 

Wasserman asked Olga Berest, the owner of the dance studio Wasserman attends, for assistance.  She was thrilled with the idea and allowed Wasserman to hold an hour-long Dance for Joy class every Sunday.

With the help and support of the community, Dance for Joy received more than $6,000 worth of donations and dance clothing.  Current and past clients were of immediate help, and donated more than $2,000 in less than a day.  The Hearts PW organization, which annually hosts PortFest, also provided the dance studio with a $2,000 grant. 

“We’ve seen the need for so many families.  I was definitely surprised at the donations.  We are very grateful,” said Wasserman. 

Word of this program spread after Wasserman posted flyers on social media and throughout community groups.  Along with free lessons, all clothing costs are covered by offered donations.  Last year, there were ten students in the program, and there are now twelve.   Wasserman said she’ll always find a way to include everyone even if there are too many children whose families can’t pay. 

After the program ends in November, students will still be able to attend regular dance classes at the studio, thanks to the funds raised from families of Berest students and a nonprofit grant from Hearts PW. 

This year, Wasserman recruited her friend, Schreiber senior Susanna Keiserman, to share teaching duties.  Keiserman began dancing at Berest when she was in kindergarten and has grown fond of dance ever since; she was ecstatic when Wasserman asked her to volunteer and teach the classes with her.  When Keiserman taught her first class last year, she saw the joy in every student’s face, and how much fun they were all having hanging out and dancing together. 

“Dance has had such a positive impact on my life from the community.  It is helpful in being an emotional outlet, and of course helps keep me in shape.  My biggest hope for the class is that at least a few of the kids find that dance might be that outlet and community for them and choose to continue with it beyond our program,” said Keiserman. 

While Keiserman and Wasserman have been enjoying their time teaching classes, they have also run into some difficulties.  Keiserman, an experienced dancer who worked with kids in the past, knew ballet could be boring at times to new students due to its intense focus on technique and classical music.  To combat this and make classes more enjoyable, the lessons are structured in a way that allows the kids to have more creative freedom, such as choreographing their own dances.  They’ve also turned technique lessons into collaborative games and incorporated more pop music that young students have found to be fun.

Besides choosing how to structure the classes, as current seniors, Wasserman and Keiserman have also had to balance schoolwork, dance, and college applications.  Especially during midterms and AP exams, finding time to commit to extracurriculars while studying became increasingly difficult.  Despite the busy schedules, Keiserman expressed how dance has actually helped motivate her to complete her work. 

“I’ve found though that spending a lot of time at the dance studio ends up making me more relaxed and motivated when I get home, and often ends up replacing less time I would spend on homework and more time I would spend on Tik Tok or watching TV,” said Keiserman. 

Both Wasserman and Keiserman plan to find other high schoolers at Berest who love working with kids and want to share their love for dance, and eventually, hope to pass on Dance for Joy when they graduate.