dancesported

Student Showcase at 2021 People's Choice DanceSport Competition

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 23:00:33 GMT

Proud to Show What Our AZ Autism Charter School Students CAN Do!!!

For two years now, we have partnered with Arizona Autism Charter Schools and are bringing the benefits of ballroom dance to ALL students at the school. The students have made an AMAZING progress in their ballroom dance classes.

This is the second time we have partnered with this competition and had students from the DanceSport Education program participate. The organizer, Forrest Vance, has always been supportive of our mission and encourages the participation in his events.

AMAZING DANCE TEAM!!! These 5th graders proudly represented their school, Arizona Autism Charter Schools , where 375 K-12 grade students receive their education along with a full-time ballroom dance program brought to the school by DanceSport Education .

AMAZING work from Mishka & Oleg Teleha and Ivan Khudoliy & Alisa Seleznova , their top-rated ballroom dance professional instructors, for the short time we put this showcase together!

Our team looks AMAZING in their costumes, special hair and make-up donated by Alan Grundy and Nathan Grundy and their ballroom dance shoes donated by Freed Ballroom USA!!!

SHOUT OUT to their parents, family and friends for all the support they provided to make this happen!!!

SHOUT OUT to Diana Diaz , the CEO and Founder of Arizona Autism Charter Schools for her love and dedication to the students and to the ballroom dance program!!!

SHOUT OUT to Forrest Vance , 7-time US Champion and organizer of People's Choice Dancesport Competition for his continuous encouragement and support of our efforts to spread the love of ballroom dance among the Arizona children and youth and promote diversity!

At DanceSport Education , we are proud to bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students, at their schools, in their classrooms!!!

DanceSport Education™

Arizona Autism Charter Schools

COVID-19 EMPLYEE RELIEF FUND

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:15:42 GMT

Help us Support our Employees During this Time of Need

Every day, our committed employees work to support the community we serve. Now, they need our help. Our organization is committed to ensuring that our employees are able to maintain financial stability and provide day-to-day necessities for their families during the coronavirus crisis.

We bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students at their schools, in their classrooms. But due to COVID outbreak, Arizona schools are now mandated to close through the end of the school year and out employees have lost their source of income. Their situation is further aggravated by the Stay-At-Home order issued for the state of Arizona.

Our organization’s most urgent goal is to retain our highly qualified and specially trained personnel, who work with children with autism. Such personnel is rare to find and costly to train and retain. Under normal circumstances, our professionals are long-term committed to the program – however if we lose them because of the COVID-19 disaster, it would be virtually impossible to reinstate the program. Retaining our personnel is critical not only to the existence of the program, but also to the ultimate recipient – children with autism in a school set-up.

We kindly ask that you join us in supporting our dedicated employees. Your gift will help provide immediate financial support so they can purchase essential food, medicines, and other supplies. Help keep our employees safe and healthy so they can eventually return to their work serving our community.

Invest in Us

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 06:03:57 GMT

INVEST IN US on #AZGivesDay April 7, 2020

INVEST IN US! Let me share why you should invest in us. We are a small 501(c)(3) non-profit and we bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students, at their schools, in their classrooms with the highest level of instruction! We make the art of ballroom dance affordable and accessible to all students, especially for those that are low income and at risk.

This year, for the first time in Arizona we are bringing the benefits of ballroom dance to 230 K-12 students with autism at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools. It is Arizona's Only Autism-Focused Tuition-Free Charter public school. Students enrolled at this school are on the autism spectrum with varying degrees of intellectual/developmental disabilities. AZ Autism Charter School serves over 40% low income students. 15% of the students are African-American,1% American Indian, 5% - Asian, 51% - Hispanic and 28% white.

The ballroom dance experience at the school is part of the students’ project-based life skills curriculum. Many studies and research findings have supported the positive implication of dance therapy to people with autism.

We are at the school 4 days /week, delivering 40 ballroom dance classes every week. The impact of ballroom dance that we see is INCREDIBLE, especially with the highest impacted students! We take so many things for granted, including the ability to move, speak, coordinate our body and socialize. Our students need to learn all this, and the art of ballroom dance is helping them tremendously. These students enjoy, love and thrive in our classes. Until our program, they had no such opportunity available to them, alone an opportunity to express themselves in public and show what they CAN do.

Please help us get the full $3,000 match by making your tax-deductible donation today. The funds will be used for rehearsals and extended support during their public event performances. This is an unprecedented commitment toward these students with special needs. They want and need to show to the public what they CAN do. This is the first of such successful efforts in Arizona! These students need your support! Say "YES" to them! We are their HOPE!

All #AzGivesDay donations are *tax-deductible and will go toward rehearsals and extended support during their public event performances. Please help us get the full $3,000 match by making your tax-deductible donation today. THANK YOU! We are sincerely grateful for those who support our mission and enable us to bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students with special needs, at their schools, in their classrooms. www.azgives.org/DanceSportEducation

*The $2 trillion stimulus package includes the Charitable Giving Incentive, which lifts the existing cap on annual contributions for those who itemize, raising it from 60 percent of adjusted gross income to 100 percent. For corporations, the bill raises the annual limit from 10 percent to 25 percent.

Elka Hristova

Co-Founder and Director

DanceSport Education

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "We Are The World" - Press Release

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 22:18:59 GMT

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "We Are The World"

A True Dancing with the Stars Experience – Where the Stars Are Our Kids!

The 9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA hosted by Imperial Ballroom Dance Center and DanceSport Education, was held on December 8, 2019 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“This year’s event was incredible. We are thankful for all who donated, and the 300+ people who attended and supported the event and DanceSport Education’s mission.” said event co-host Inna Berlizyeva.

“At DanceSport Education, we are very proud of our partnership with Arizona Autism Charter Schools! 230 K-12 students with autism with all range of abilities attending the school, receive 10 ballroom dance lessons daily from our world-class ballroom dance professionals year-round. This is an unprecedented, pioneer effort in Arizona and the US! We are bringing the research and the benefits of ballroom dance to the students with autism at their school, in their classrooms!” said co-founder Elka Hristova.

Artem Plakhotnyi, top world class dancesport competitor and event host, emceed the event and was our distinguished on-stage voice for the evening.

Gala’s honorary guest Paul Holmes, former British National, UK National and US National Ballroom Dance Champion, and US representative of Freed of London, the world-famous dance shoemaker, announced the sponsorship of two of Imperial’s finest professional ballroom dance couples – Oleg and Michelle and Ivan and Alissa during 2020 and noted: “Our decision to support their dancesport career is not only based on the fact that they are young, rising star professionals, but also that they carry out the mission of DanceSport Education in creating an AMAZING impact in the lives of 230 students at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools.”

We were honored to have one of the most prominent Arizona leaders, Diana Diaz-Harrison as the keynote speaker at the 2019 Gala. Diana Diaz is the lead founder and CEO of Arizona Autism Charter Schools, the first autism focused tuition-free public school in Arizona. She is responsible for the expansion of the arts program at the school and bringing the life-long benefits of ballroom dance to ALL students at the school in partnership with DanceSport Education and Imperial Ballroom Dance Company.

Diana Diaz-Harrison is the heart and soul of the school. She shared her personal passionate story of starting the school and how the daily participation in ballroom dance is positively impacting ALL 230 students with autism at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools. She praised highly the AMAZING work of Ivan, Alisa, Oleh and Michelle at the school. Diana’s “Dream with Me” tango marked the ending of her speech.

The Gala guests enjoyed an amazing kid only ballroom dance theater production “We are the World”, with an unprecedented participation of students from Arizona Autism Charter Schools. They were treated to a state-of-the-art show by Imperial Ballroom’s world-class professionals and top-rated students from the studio.

Imperial Ballroom Dance Center is Arizona’s premier ballroom dance studio, located in Scottsdale, Arizona and has the best ballroom dance program for children and youth. Inna Berlizyeva and Artem Plakhotnyi are owners of Imperial Ballroom.

DanceSport Education is an Arizona not-for-profit 501 c 3 organization with the mission to create positive, life-long impacts in the lives of children and youth through participation in ballroom dance at their schools and support young and developing DanceSport talent. The DanceSport curriculum is delivered with a proven instructional methodology by world-class, top-rated DanceSport professionals, affiliated with Imperial Ballroom Dance Center.

Elka and Alexander Hristov, top education management consultants and Inna Berlyzieva and Artem Plakhotnyi, top world ballroom dance professionals and owners of Imperial Ballroom are co-founders of DanceSport Education.

To learn more and get in touch with us:

Visit https://www.dancesported.org

or email dancesported@gmail.com

DanceSport Education Receives Grant from Arizona Commission on the Arts

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 02:09:42 GMT

Dedicated to Serving the Community Through the Arts

DanceSport Education has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts , an agency of the State of Arizona. The grant was one of 216 grants awarded for Fiscal Year 2020, representing a total investment of $2,463,000 in nonprofit arts organizations across the state.

The grant will support DanecSport Education's work over the coming year to bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students, at their schools in their classrooms!

In accordance with the Arts Commission’s strategic plan and governing statutes, schools and nonprofit arts organizations are awarded grants based on such factors as community investment, quality of programming, fiscal ingenuity and responsible stewardship of public funds.

Grant applications are reviewed within rigorous panel processes which are open to applicants as well as the broader public. Review panels are led by Governor-appointed Commissioners and are composed of diverse community leaders, volunteer experts, educators and arts practitioners from rural, urban and suburban areas throughout Arizona.

We are so exited to be recognized by the Arizona Commission on the Arts as a valued partner, dedicated to serving the community through the arts, and striving to ensure that more children and youth in Arizona can experience the many benefits of the art of ballroom dance at their schools, in their classrooms!!

We need your financial support to leverage those grant funds and continue and expand our program at the schools!

Please, support our efforts to make the art of ballroom dance and its many benefits

affordable and accessible for the children and youth in Arizona!

DanceSport Education, an Arizona Non-Profit LLC (Tax I.D.: 81-5046738), is a fully owned subsidiary of Collaborative Research Institute (Tax I.D. 41-2082159),

a Non-Profit Tax-Exempt organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 22:51:26 GMT

A Black Tie Fundraiser for DanceSport Education

The 9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA , held at the beautiful Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch , is a signature, black-tie fundraising GALA benefiting DanceSport Education, an Arizona not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to impact the lives of children and youth through ballroom dance, and to support young talent. We are proud to bring ballroom dance to the children and youth of Arizona - at their schools, in their classrooms!

Join us for an unforgettable evening! Ladies and gentlemen, get your beautiful gowns and tuxedos, grab your masks, and come enjoy an evening of elegance, delicious food, champagne, and a great show. Try your dance moves on the GALA open dance floor!

EVENT HOSTS : Imperial Ballroom Dance Company and DanceSport Education .

MASTER OF CEREMONY : Artem Plakhotnyi , our favorite world-class ballroom dance professional, Imperial Ballroom's owner and DanceSport Education Co-Founder will MC the event.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER : Diana Diaz-Harrison , lead founder and CEO of Arizona Autism Charter Schools , the first autism focused public school in Arizona. She is recognized with The Rosa Carrillo Torres Humanitarian Award for her significant humanitarian efforts and contributions to the community, at the Profiles of Success 2019 Hispanic Leadership Awards. She is also recognized with the Women Achievers of Arizona Award, for her work every day to make a difference in the lives of Arizonans. She is Cox Communications Arizona 2018 Latino Leader Honoree, recognized for her cultural and social contributions to our state.

LIVE MUSIC: Mosaico 2.0 - Alex Hristov on acoustic guitar and Max Perrault on flute, two of Arizona's best musical talents will perform live during presentations and dinner time. Hear some of the best Latin, Jazz and Flamenco tunes.

"WE ARE THE WORLD " : Enjoy an AMAZING Musical Theater Show production by Imperial Ballroom’s top students and students from Arizona Autism Charter Schools, participating in the DanceSport Education program. The show is produced by the talented Inna Berlizyeva , world-class ballroom dance professional, Imperial Ballroom's owner and DanceSport Education Co-Founder.

PROFESSIONAL SHOW: Take your seat for the best professional ballroom dance show! Enjoy an incredible performance featuring Imperial Ballroom Dance Company’s professionals, as well as special top US guest professionals from around the country!

Masquerade Ball Gala is our exquisite black-tie fundraiser GALA event, which will get you in a great festive mood for the upcoming holidays. Perfect for singles, couples, dancers, and anyone who just would like to dress up for a fun, entertaining night out! Kids friendly!

You will not want to miss one of the most elegant parties in Scottsdale and help us raise money for a great cause - children, education and ballroom dance.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE -check out our Sponsorship Package ! Your sponsorship will directly support the critical need to increase the number of children in Arizona who engage in ballroom dance as a physical activity to build life-long healthy habits. We hope you will consider sponsoring at the Masquerade Ball GALA and join our efforts to help shape a generation of healthy and thriving children and youth!

TICKETS are on sale at mbgala.dance . Last year the GALA was a SOLD-OUT event. Get your tickets early!

* Tickets for the Gala are at cost. If you would like to make a donation to DanceSport Education, please, use the DONATE NOW button to get to our secure online terminal.

BALLROOM DANCE FOR AUTISM

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 03:35:56 GMT

The Benefits of Ballroom Dance for Children with Autism

The therapeutic benefits of ballroom dance are inherent in its nature:

Ballroom dance is a partner dance – two people, holding hands in a dance frame, dancing together.
Compared to any dance form, ballroom dance has the highest diversity of world rhythms, so natural to the body.
It is easily accessible at the start, no special skills are required, classrooms turn easily into dance space, and students can dance in their school attire.
Ballroom dance can be practiced in larger, smaller groups and individually, and allows for easy transition from ballroom dance as an art form, to the competitive, DanceSport.
Ballroom dance instruction is often used as a character education and anti-bullying prevention hands-on program.

Benefits of ballroom dance to students with autism:

Increases student achievement through improved attention and concentration.
Promotes expression of emotion through movements, breaking the withdrawal symptoms and engaging with others.
Increases interpersonal bonding and communication, recognizing, associating and responding to others, increases eye contact.
Participation in group activities and learning through mirroring promotes socialization, increased shared focus and develops trust.
The group sessions enable in developing social skills and communications.
As the social skills develop, it promotes understanding the feelings and emotions of others and thus develops empathy.
Teaches and improves gross and fine motor imitation skills.
Helps develop the movement vocabulary.
Helps in learning different patterns of movements required for daily life activities
Performing dance steps in a series of sessions in a row helps in improving memory and recapitulation skills.
As a partner dance, helps in developing trust on others as well as helps in reducing sensitivity to physical contact and touch.
Helps in improving body awareness and body image and improves general well-being
The usage of proper movements on the different planes of motion stimulates verbal communication skills.
Helps in better adaption to different situations.

Sources:

The DREAM Scholarship

Wed, 08 May 2019 03:43:16 GMT

The DREAM Scholarship - Supporting Young and Developing DanceSport Talent

The DREAM Scholarship is established to encourage, support and reward the participation of children and youth in ballroom dance.

At DanceSport Education, we are dedicated to the success of the young DanceSport athletes. We want them to continue to learn, grow and develop competitively and remove as many financial barriers as possible that might stand in their way to get noticed, realize their talent and succeed at the top.

The funds for the DREAM Scholarship come from our on-going fundraising efforts to support the mission of DanceSport Education, and our major fundraising event – Imperial Ballroom’s Masquerade Ball Gala. We would like to encourage the kids participation at the Gala, which has grown to be one of the most prestigious black-tie events in Metro Phoenix with 300+ attendance and growing. The Gala is also a great opportunity for children to shine their talents and showcase their hard work in front of an incredible audience!

Our long-term vision is to build the DREAM Scholarship fund to a point where we would be able to provide meaningful, full-time and part-time scholarships to support young and developing DanceSport talent.

We cannot do this alone. We need a wide support to spread the word about the many benefits of ballroom dance and to educate the general public about ballroom dance and dancesport.

We are very active on social media, which can be reached through our web site www.dancesported.org . Like us and Follow us, read our posts, comment and share. This helps us tremendously, especially when we reach out to our existing donors – to sustain the funding at DanceSport Education as well as when we reach out to potential new donors. They see that we are strong community and they are more likely to consider funding us.

We would like to encourage your support of our fundraising efforts – whether through social media campaigns, or any of our special events, such as Masquerade Ball Gala. DanceSport Education is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible.

Involve friends and family and people in your networks. Share your child’s achievements with them.

Also, many employers have matching donations programs. DanceSport Education is set to receive matching donations from companies and corporations. This doubles the fundraising efforts.

What we started is unprecedented, first of its kind in Metro Phoenix and Arizona. We are confident, that with our institutional capacity, guidance from our distinguished Advisory Board, we will be able to further contribute to the future and success of our young and developing DanceSport athletes!

Bringing the Benefits of Ballroom Dance to ALL Children and Youth

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 03:45:48 GMT

Anna Shahbazyan to Lead Our Efforts in Reaching out to Students with Special Needs

Anna Shahbazyan is joining DanceSport Education as an Advisory Board Member and is excited to support our mission in reaching out to ALL children. She will guide our efforts in establishing a program for children and teens with special needs in Metro Phoenix, so that they can experience the long-term benefits of ballroom dance.

Anna is originally from Armenia. She started Ballroom dancing at the age of 14. She moved to the US in 2000 where she pursued her career as a professional dancer while continuing her education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) majoring in Psychology and later earning her Masters Degree.

In 2012 she started working in the field of ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) as a Behavior Interventionist and later as an Adaptive Skills Supervisor. Shortly after, in 2014 she realized how much more could be achieved if therapy was combined with dance, and not any dance, but specifically Ballroom Dancing. That is when she started her own program ASDance for Autism at the Sloan and Sloan School of Dancing in Glendale, CA, serving the needs of children and teens with Autism, Non-Verbal Autism, Dyspraxia and even Visual Impairments as well as their families through the multidisciplinary approach used through Ballroom.

Anna was a recipient of the Community Service Award in 2016 by the NDCA (National Dance Council of America) for her contribution to the community as an ambassador of Ballroom Dance. She is also the co-organizer of City Lights Open Competition in San Jose, CA. With her professional partner they were:

British Open Professional Smooth Finalists in 2017
Open Professional Smooth Bronze medalists at the Champions Ball in Moscow
US National Rising Star Smooth and Ohio Star Ball Vice Champions
US National Rising Star International Ballroom Finalists
Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Ballroom Vice Champions

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "The DREAM" - Press Release

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 03:58:23 GMT

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "The DREAM" - Supporting DanceSport Education

The 8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA hosted by Imperial Ballroom Dance Center and Dancesport Education was held on December 16, 2018 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in, Arizona.

“This event exceeded our expectations. We are so thankful for our many sponsors, who generously donated and 300+ people who attended and supported the event and DanceSport Education’s mission to create positive, life-long impacts in the lives of young people through participation in ballroom dance” said event co-host Inna Berlizyeva.

“DanceSport Education brings ballroom dance to the students at their schools, in their classrooms and we are so pleased to use the funds raised to make the program available and accessible to Arizona’s students” said Elka Hristova, co-founder.

Artem Plakhotnyi, top world class dancesport competitor and event host, emceed the event and was our distinguished on-stage voice for the evening.

There was great energy in the room as the guests enjoyed the exchange and had a chance to hear first-hand from school leaders and students representing the schools where the Dancesport Education program is implemented.

JoDene Tryon, founder and CEO of Mission Montessori Academy, accompanied by Joslyn Maike, Principal of the middle school and Daisy Maldonado, an alumni of the school and the DanceSport Education program stressed the many benefits ballroom dance has brought to the students at the school. “The young adolescent child is a child ready to form new relationships, build new skills and express themselves. The Dance Sport Program has reached my students in these three areas”, said Joslyn Maike and encouraged teachers and principals to consider bringing the DanceSport Education program to their students, at their schools.

Asher Ralphs, a Sophomore at Cicero Preparatory, a Great Hearts Academy and a competitive DanceSport athlete addressed the guests and shared the story about his journey in competitive ballroom dance and the challenges he had to face and overcome, including the stigma that he was “a boy, who dared to dance”.

Keynote speaker, 4 time Olympian Iskra Balchev – Velinova addressed the Gala guests in a passionate speech about how dance has positively influenced and helped her Olympic career and continues to be her passion in life. Iskra addressed the dancesport athletes in the audience and shared her Olympian recipe for success: “Practice makes you Perfect, but Passion makes you Champions!” She also brought an important message to the entire audience to support health, support physical activity, support ballroom dance education, support sports, support the upbringing of a healthy and viable young generation! “Imperial Ballroom’s world-class, top-rated professionals make the benefits of ballroom dance accessible. Your financial help and support will make it affordable!” Iskra encouraged the guests. Her Argentine Tango marked the ending of her speech.

The Gala guests enjoyed an amazing, first of its kind ballroom dance theater show production “The Dream”, where 32 children and youth from Imperial Ballroom and Mission Montessori showed their ballroom dance skills and talent. The Gala show also featured Imperial Ballroom’s world-class professionals and top-rated students.

Plans are already underway for next year’s Masquerade Ball Gala. Those plans include even broader participation of DanceSport Education students and schools. Stay tuned for more details about next year!

DanceSport Education is an Arizona not-for-profit 501 c 3 organization with the mission to create positive, life-long impacts in the lives of young people through participation in ballroom dance at their schools, and support young and developing DanceSport athletes. The DanceSport curriculum is delivered with a proven instructional methodology by world-class, top-rated DanceSport professionals, affiliated with Imperial Ballroom Dance Center.

Elka and Alexander Hristov, top education management consultants and Inna Berlyzieva and Artem Plakhotnyi, owners of Imperial Ballroom are co-founders of DanceSport Education.

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 16:00:00 GMT

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA - A Black Tie Fundraiser for DanceSport Education

Join us at the 8th Annual Masquerade Ball Gala , our exquisite black-tie fundraising GALA event that will get you in a great festive mood for the upcoming holidays.

Ladies and gentlemen, get out your beautiful gowns and tuxedos, and come enjoy an evening of great elegance, delicious food, champagne, and AMAZING show. You will not want to miss one of the most elegant parties in Scottsdale and help us raise money for a great cause.

Tickets are on sale at www.mbgala.dance . Last year the GALA was a SOLD OUT event. Get your tickets early! ��

DanceSport Education is an Arizona not for profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to positively impact the lives of children and youth through ballroom dance and to support young and developing dance sport athletes. Sponsorship opportunities available. Check this link https://www.dancesported.org/2018-masquerade-ball-gala

Looking forward to seeing you at the GALA! ��

Thank you for your support!

Elka Hristova , Artem Plakhotnyi , Inna Berlizyeva

Co-Founders of DanceSport Education

EARLY CHILDHOOD MATTERS!

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Why Are Art Classes Like Dance So Important for Children in Their Early Years?

1. Developing of healthy behaviors/brain devleopment

Dance and especially ballroom dance come with many benefits, which are so important for children in their younger years.

The research: Early childhood matters! Children are born learning. And what they learn in their younger years can change the course of their lives. Research is definitive that the behaviors set in childhood are a crucial component of a child’s healthy development and they get carried through adulthood. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that children are set on a healthy lifestyle path.

Additionally, high quality early learning is critical to ensuring that children are receiving developmentally appropriate care in a supportive environment. These relationships can provide lasting benefits to children, especially those, who are facing adverse experiences in other aspects of their lives.

Our DanceSport Education program. We are completely aware of the benefits to set children on a healthy lifestyle path that they will carry thriugh adulhood. That is why, at DanceSport Education, we start working with children as young as 4 years of age.

Quality Counts! At DanceSport Education we firmly believe in the paramount importance of high quality learning in a supportive environment. We also believe that quality instruction comes from quality teachers. That is a major reason for us to choose to deliver our curriculum with the highest quality of instruction by world-class, top-rated professionals, who have proven themselves as competitors and as instructors and coaches of numerous others – from kids to adults, to amateur and professional couples. If you take a closer look at their careers, they have been exposed to the highest quality world-class instruction.

We firmly believe that children should start their dance and ballroom dance journey with this kind of quality expertise and care! Quality instruction and high levels of expectations are key for student success – in education, in dance and in life!

Sources:

Note: This is a series of blogs on the benefits of ballroom dance for children and youth.

Author: Elka Hristova, Co-Founder of DanceSport Education

SHOULD DANCE TEACHERS BE GREAT DANCERS AS WELL?

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 16:00:00 GMT

"A Great Dance Teacher is a Product of Their Great Dance Teachers"

Quality counts! At DanceSport Education, we firmly believe that quality instruction comes from quality teachers. Also, in the case of ballroom dance and its competitive sports form, dancesport, we believe that the good ballroom dance teacher must be a very good dancer and competitor as well.

"A great dance teacher is the product of their great dance teachers. I have experienced watching great dancers who have no capacity/language for teaching. I believe if you grew up learning from great educators, you will have all the tools and talent to be successful. " Scott Black, Arizona Dance Coalition

Our instructors have been recipients of the highest quality ballroom instruction, which resulted in their proven success as professional ballroom dance competitors – they possess top US and world ranking. I firmly believe that children should start their dance and ballroom dance journey with this kind of quality expertise and care! High quality instruction and high levels of expectations are key for student success – in education and in dance!

At DanceSport Education, we deliver our curriculum with the highest quality of instruction by world-class, top-rated professionals, who have proven themselves as competitors and as instructors and coaches of numerous others – from kids to adults, to amateur and professional couples. If you take a closer look at their careers, they have been exposed to the highest quality world-class instruction by great teachers.

We are so excited and proud to have this incredible talent dedicate part of their time to share their love and top-level expertise with the children and youth at the schools! It is inspiring!

Author: Elka Hristova, Co-Founder of DanceSport Education

SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Re-Direct Your AZ State Taxes to Support Our DanceSport Education Program

RE-DIRECT YOUR AZ STATE TAX LIABILITY TO A NEEDY SCHOOL

What is the Arizona Public School Tax Credit?

The Arizona Public School Tax Credit is a program that allows Arizona taxpayers to contribute to the public school (district and charter) of their choice and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their state taxes.

Why Support?

The Arizona Public School Tax Credit provides the funding for co-curricular, athletics and character-building programs for the AZ students at their public schools (district and charter). This allows Arizona taxpayers to take charge of how their tax dollars are spent and support a cause and activity their care about. The DanceSport Education program is a program, which qualifies the public school to receive those tax credits.

How does it Work?

You choose to re-route your Arizona state tax liability to our public schools. Married couples may contribute up to $400 and single filers may contribute up to $200 and receive the full credit - dollar-for dollar from your state tax liability.

Who can participate?

Every Arizona taxpayer can take advantage of the Arizona Public School Tax Credit and support the DanceSport Education program at the school of their choice.

How to contribute?

100% of your Tax Credit donation stays at the school. Please choose a school that has adopted the DanceSport program from the list above to make your Arizona Public School Tax Credit contribution.

Please, write a check payable to the school of your choice (from the list above), designate it to the DanceSport program, and mail it to:

DanceSport Education

604 E Balboa Dr

Tempe AZ 85282

We will deliver the check to the appropriate extension at the school and will mail you back the tax-donation certificate from the school. The certificate documents your contribution, and is needed to support your tax credit.

WHY SUPPORT DANCESPORT EDUCATION

Sat, 07 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

We Help Young and Developing DanceSport Athletes

WE SUPPORT YOUNG AND DEVELOPING DANCESPORT ATHLETES

DanceSport Education™ is a not-for-profit is a 501 (c) (3) organization, which promotes excellence in education through highest quality extracurricular activities. We impact the lives of children and youth through ballroom dance education - we build a strong foundation for lifelong skills. We also exist to reach out, create, develop and support DanceSport competitive talent.

As a sport, DanceSport is a relatively new sport in the U.S. and dancesport athletes do not receive the financial backing and support like their peers in other established sports. We are dedicated to the success of the young and developing DanceSport athletes. We want them to continue to learn, grow and develop competitively and remove any financial barriers that might stand in their way to get noticed, realize their talent and succeed at the top.

Your contribution to the General Donation Fund supports directly young and developing DanceSport athletes in the following ways :

1. Student scholarships for:

✔ Competitive group and private instruction;

✔ DanceSport competition participation, including travel, competition registration fees, professional and coaching fees, hotel accommodations, etc.;

✔ Mastery camps participation;

✔ Intensive workshops participation;

✔ Coaching sessions;

✔ Cross training participation;

✔ Sports psychology training;

✔ Competition gear – competition attire and shoes.

2. Continuous competitive DanceSport Education program improvements (curriculum and instruction) and

continuous professional development through:

✔ DanceSport athletic curriculum development and refinement;

✔ DanceSport athletic instructional methodology development and refinement;

✔ Teacher professional development programs to continually improve the quality of athletic instruction;

✔ Developing and implementing a cross training curriculum for our young DanceSport athletes to improve strength, agility, endurance and injury prevention;

✔ Developing a DanceSport cross training curriculum for competitive athletes, including Middle and High School competitive athletes.

WE NEED YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT

Your financial support will directly help existing and developing DanceSport athletes by funding need and talent-based scholarships for children and youth. Right here in Arizona we have talented, dedicated to the sport, young and developing athletes. Unprecedented, two of our Arizona born and raised DanceSport athletes, were selected to be part of the United States Junior Team at the World Cup Championship in Blackpool, England. They are not only top level athletes, but also A+ students! They are a live testimony of the positive, life-time impact of ballroom dance. With your support, we will be able to increase the number of competitive athletes from 2 to 10 and provide full and partial need and talent-based scholarships for them.

Donation Wishlist

$500

✔ Covers the registration cost for 1 DanceSport athlete to a competition in the US; or

✔ Provides 1 DanceSport athlete with group and individual instruction for 1 year; or

✔ Covers 2 competition dresses; or

✔ Covers 6 pairs of kids ballroom dance shoes

✔ Covers 4 pairs of boy’s competition pants; or

$1,000 - ✔ Covers the registration cost for 1 DanceSport couple to a competition in the US.

$5,000 - ✔ Provides 1 DanceSport athlete with advanced individual and group instruction for 1 year.

WAYS TO GIVE

DanceSport Education, which is an Arizona, not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible. Any amount you wish to donate is appreciated! We provide several opportunities to support our organization:

Cash and Checks:

Please, send a check to:

DanceSport Education

604 E Balboa Dr.

Tempe AZ, 85282

Credit Card:

We accept all major credit cards: American Express, Visa, Master Card and Discover.

Click on the DONATE NOW button to make a credit card contribution online.

WHY SUPPORT DANCESPORT EDUCATION

Thu, 05 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

We Create Life-Long Impact in Children and Youth

WE NEED YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT

Arizona’s children are growing unhealthy and obese at alarming rates, with physical consequences of Type 2 diabetes, orthopedic problems, and cardiovascular disease in their adulthood, accompanied by psychological damage, social exclusion, ridicule, and low self-esteem. These conditions intensify for children living in low-income, at risk communities. To battle the situation, the Centers for Disease Control recommend that all children engage in 60 minutes of physical activity daily as a health building effort. However, nearly 3 out of 4 children in AZ are not meeting this recommendation, with physical activity numbers trending downward.

Sport has been increasingly recognized and used as a high-impact tool in health-building efforts, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most competitive sports, however, require audition and many children remain outside of selection; many bring elevated risk of physical injuries, pressure and even bullying. Parents are often unable to afford the team costs. As a lifetime sport, however, ballroom dance offers a healthier choice that is easy to make. It is inclusive, no auditions or special skills are required, and all children are welcome. Ballroom dance helps children to mature physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively through low impact activity. Research supports the fact that participation in dance and movement develops the young brain and increases cognition: students have higher test scores and graduate school.

At DanceSport Education, our mission is to create life-long impacts in the lives of young people in Arizona through participation in ballroom dance as both an extracurricular activity at their schools, and also, as a competitive sport. The DanceSport Education program aligns with Arizona’s Department of Health plan to fight obesity by increasing the number of children participating in physical activity. The ballroom dance program provides children with physical activity that uses all muscles and yet is enjoyable, appealing and fosters sustained interest. It stimulates participation regardless of athletic ability, body habitus, gender, or physical fitness.

The lack of physical activity among children is not somebody else's problem. We are all intimately connected when it comes to health. We all bear the cost of unhealthy and obese younger generation. Investing in programs and initiatives to get children more active provides significant cost savings and societal benefits.

YOU MAKE AN IMPACT

Your support will directly help us Increase the number of children in Arizona who engage in ballroom dance as a physical activity/sport with the goal of building life-long healthy habits. Last year, upon launch, our DanceSport Education program serviced 100+ students ages 4-18 from 3 Arizona schools. Two of the schools are located in low income communities. With your support, this year we will not only retain these students, but increase their number to 750 and continue to grow the program’s outreach and positive impact.

Donation Wishlist

$100 - provides 1 child with ballroom dance instruction for one semester

$1,000 - brings the DanceSport Education program to an entire classroom for 1 semester

$5,000 - brings the DanceSport Education program to an entire school for 1 semester

WAYS TO GIVE

Cash and Checks

Please, send a check to

DanceSport Education

604 E Balboa Dr.

Tempe AZ, 85282

Credit Card

We accept all major credit cards: American Express, Visa, Master Card and Discover.

Click on the DONATE NOW button to make a credit card contribution online.

Experience the Power of DanceSport

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Students Grow, Learn and Enrich Through DanceSport

DanceSport Education™ offers a complete Ballroom Dance program with a systematic, specific, and sequenced curriculum for children ages 4-18. It is delivered with a proven instructional methodology by world-class DanceSport professionals affiliated with and certified by Imperial DanceSport Instruction and Imperial Ballroom Dance Center.

The program is tailored to allow students to grow, learn, enrich, and achieve as they participate.

The DanceSport program is offered once or twice a week as an extracurricular activity in several age/grade-level groups. It could satisfy PE credit requirements at the middle school level. The schools and students can also opt for prom preparations and additional classes.

In addition, the program includes specially designed annual DanceSport events to communicate results, showcase achievements, increase its outreach among young people, and inform the community.

The program is supplemented by spring and summer camps, intensive workshops, and master classes for those students who would like to take their DanceSport skills to the next level.

About DanceSport Education

Thu, 18 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

We have officially launched DanceSport Education ™!

It's official. DanceSport Education™ was created in 2016 and officially launched its program in 2017. DanceSport Education™ offers a complete DanceSport program with systematic, specific, and sequenced ballroom dance curriculum for children and youth. We are dedicated to bringing ballroom dancing to Arizona's children and youth.

The DanceSport Education™ program is operated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and is a collaborative effort between Education Team Partners - a leader in supporting and promoting excellence in education and Imperial Ballroom DanceSport Instruction - lead by world class ballroom dance champions. We teamed up to create DanceSport Education™to bring forward another highly prestigious aspect of quality education – DanceSport. Our mission is to provide the best opportunities and outreach to young people in Arizona and help them become skilled and achieving ballroom dancers and DanceSport athletes.

DanceSport Education brings ballroom dancing directly to the students in their schools. We are expanding our outreach efforts to include the homeschooled students as well.

What an Exciting Start! We have successfully launched the program in the Spring semester of School Year 2017. Currently, DanceSport Education operates in three schools in Metro Phoenix. Over 100 students participate in the program. We are very excited for this successful start and so are the students, their parents, teachers and schools' leadership! They are all anxiously looking forward to continue their ballroom dance journey in the coming 2017-18 School Year. We, at DanceSport education are excited, too as we will be establishing more presence at Arizona's school campuses, which would allow more students to experience the benefits of ballroom dance and DanceSport!

dancesported

Student Showcase at 2021 People's Choice DanceSport Competition

Proud to Show What Our AZ Autism Charter School Students CAN Do!!!

COVID-19 EMPLYEE RELIEF FUND

Help us Support our Employees During this Time of Need

Invest in Us

INVEST IN US on #AZGivesDay April 7, 2020

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "We Are The World" - Press Release

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "We Are The World" A True Dancing with the Stars Experience – Where the Stars Are Our Kids!

DanceSport Education Receives Grant from Arizona Commission on the Arts

Dedicated to Serving the Community Through the Arts

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA

A Black Tie Fundraiser for DanceSport Education

BALLROOM DANCE FOR AUTISM

The Benefits of Ballroom Dance for Children with Autism

The therapeutic benefits of ballroom dance are inherent in its nature:

Benefits of ballroom dance to students with autism:

Sources:

The DREAM Scholarship

The DREAM Scholarship - Supporting Young and Developing DanceSport Talent

Bringing the Benefits of Ballroom Dance to ALL Children and Youth

Anna Shahbazyan to Lead Our Efforts in Reaching out to Students with Special Needs

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "The DREAM" - Press Release

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "The DREAM" - Supporting DanceSport Education

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA

8th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA - A Black Tie Fundraiser for DanceSport Education

EARLY CHILDHOOD MATTERS!

Why Are Art Classes Like Dance So Important for Children in Their Early Years?

Sources:

SHOULD DANCE TEACHERS BE GREAT DANCERS AS WELL?

"A Great Dance Teacher is a Product of Their Great Dance Teachers"

SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM

Re-Direct Your AZ State Taxes to Support Our DanceSport Education Program

RE-DIRECT YOUR AZ STATE TAX LIABILITY TO A NEEDY SCHOOL

WHY SUPPORT DANCESPORT EDUCATION

We Help Young and Developing DanceSport Athletes

WE SUPPORT YOUNG AND DEVELOPING DANCESPORT ATHLETES

WHY SUPPORT DANCESPORT EDUCATION

We Create Life-Long Impact in Children and Youth

WE NEED YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT

YOU MAKE AN IMPACT

WAYS TO GIVE

Experience the Power of DanceSport

Students Grow, Learn and Enrich Through DanceSport

About DanceSport Education

We have officially launched DanceSport Education ™!

9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA "We Are The World"

A True Dancing with the Stars Experience – Where the Stars Are Our Kids!