15 Schools and Thousands of Students Infected with the Dancing Bug!!

Imagine walking in a gym full of middle school students and before you actually saw them, you heard them spelling “T – A – N – G – O”, They are all spelling it together but in a particular rhythm, and as you turn the corner you see about 50 middle school dance couples dancing the Tango. This is not as far fetched as you may think especially when JV Outreach is involved.

JV Outreach is a non profit organization whose mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of youth through dance. Under the leadership of Johns Creek resident, Jacqueline Vergez, JV Outreach started out as a free summer dance program to give children the opportunity to dance, It then grew into an after-school program offered at Holcomb Bridge Middle School. Jacqueline noticed that some kids, at first, may have been dragged to class by their moms but after a class or two the kids were having fun and wanted to continue. At that point it was her mission to figure out how to get a lot of kids exposed to dance so they get to at least try it out and see if dance was something they would enjoy. That is when JV Outreach initiated their dance program as part of P.E in schools.

JV Outreach went from teaching dance at 4 schools last school year to 15 so far this year all across Fulton County. Thousands of students have learned new dances such as Tango, Fox Trot, Waltz, Cha Cha, Salsa, Hip Hop and even a Flash Mob routine. Even the P.E. teachers got right into dancing as well.

What sets JV Outreach apart from any other program is not only do they specialize in working with youth but all the programs are FREE. Most importantly, every dance teacher that is with JV Outreach has a passion for making a real difference in the lives of youth. The teaching staff includes A’ric Jackson – Flash Mob Expert & International Youth Speaker, Sorin Obreja – Professional Ballroom Competitor and Antjuan Rhames – Professional Hip Hop dancer who has performed with Black Eyed Peas, Madonna and Drake.

JV Outreach also offers free dance classes every Saturday at Dance FX studio in Alpharetta for those students interested in learning more advanced dance techniques and choreographed routines. The students that participate in these classes are given an opportunity to perform what they learned at various events and venues across Atlanta.

All of JV Outreach’s programs are free and are made possible through funding provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the Guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council and donations.

So next time you take a visit to your local middle school and you happen to hear students spelling out T-A-N-G-O or hear music coming from the gym, take a peek inside, you just may get an eyeful of great dancing.

For more information go to www.jvoutreach.org.