MILWAUKEE — Over 1,000 fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade Milwaukee and Racine students packed the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for the 17th annual Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm Competition Monday morning.
Those students, from more than 30 different schools, competed in different dance styles as part of the Danceworks program.
Danceworks is a Milwaukee nonprofit whose goal is to enhance joy, health, and creativity by engaging the community through dance. They are also a member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF).
This was Villa Renaissance student Michael Strom’s first time dancing.
“It was scary at first, and then I got used to it, and then it was really fun,” Strom exclaimed.
Group after group dressed in elaborate costumes took turns on the dance floor.
“They’ve been working so hard for weeks and learning all these different dance styles, so today it's just a celebration of everything that they’ve done,” Juliane Cook, Board President of Danceworks, said.
Students met twice a week to learn the dances since November. This year, the styles were Paso Doble, Tap, and a Hip Hop/Bhangra fusion.
Jessica Fastabend is the Community Programs Manager for Danceworks. She said exposing the kids to different kinds of dances helps them to embrace all cultures.
“It allows students an opportunity to be creative, to move their bodies, to express themselves, and to actually be face-to-face with another person,” Fastabend explained.
Danceworks hopes to spark an interest and participation in the arts. According to their website, they serve more than 55,000 children, adults, and seniors each year.
“Especially coming out of the pandemic months where everything was virtual, this is so important for us to be in person and to see each other, to just be moving, exercising, and having fun together,” Cook said.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson kicked off the competition with opening remarks to welcome and congratulate the students.
An awards ceremony took place after the competition.
For more information on how to get involved with Danceworks, visit their website.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
