DREAM OF DANCING (BY: DANI CRONCE)

DREAM OF DANCING

Written by: Dani Cronce (Binghamton Councilwoma) – 06/27/2016 – Released 07/03/2016 11:10AM ET. Edited by: Colin Wood

Several years ago my ballet instructor Tina Christina- Price and I spoke about starting a dance class for children of all abilities. Tina is a beautiful dancer full of grace and beauty. She studied across the sea and returned to study in NYC as a ballet dancer and then as an instructor. Somehow she made her way home to the Southern Tier and decided to dedicate he life in the art of dance for the disabled.

I was fortunate enough to perform for a short while, under Tina. Even better, we both learned that we shared a flame for helping the disabled. I met Tina at Suny Broome, as a student of hers.

I was just finishing up a grant for disabled playground equipment for Broome County. I had set up a Wishes Broome's Disability Play Ground Equipment Trust Fund (which is still up and functional).

Tina was just starting to shift her life from dance instructor to a freedom fighter for disabled dancers. We bonded and we never lost contact.

Through the years we have been looking for a place to start an improvisational dance class for children of all abilities. I have written grants for Tina and collected statistics. We have held meetings and spoke of an eventual program. Over the years, we found other ways to shine while working to make this program possible.

Recently, we have contacted the American Civic Association. The ACA director Mayra Garcia is working on ways to reach out to the community. We have come up with a peer to peer program and a student business apprenticeship for the BHS students who attend school across the street.

Mayra, Tina and I have found a connection together. We are working on opening the ACA doors to all members of the public. We believe that everyone is special. Right now we are working out a schedule that will be ready by next school year.

We are three excited women who are on a mission to serve our community. I look forward to the day we open the doors to the ACA and welcome our dream dancers into our creation.