Mary Murphy's Fifth Annual Chance to Dance Is a Class Act

Mary Murphy, the well known choreographer, dancer and judge on the FOX television show So You Think You Can Dance? came to the Mar Vista High School gymnasium Wednesday to host her fifth annual Mary Murphy’s Chance to Dance Showcase.

Elementary school students from around the South Bay Union School District (SBUSD) showed off their dance skills to hundreds of parents and spectators in the crowd.

The purpose of the showcase, Murphy said, is to provide ballroom dance training to teachers, children and families who might not have the opportunity otherwise.

As part of the program, Murphy provides free dancing instruction to participating teachers who in turn teach their students the dances they've learned.

"It’s a great thing for the community,” said Imperial Beach Elementary School first-grade teacher Laura Wood. “Parents just come up and say ‘thank you’ for doing this for my child, and they are so proud of them, and they see them in a different way.”

The 2011 Chance to Dance teachers got things started by putting on a little swing dance performance.

The children's portion of the show kicked off with some merengue by the VIP Village West Preschool, and teachers Sonia Sandoval and Yolanda Velasco showed off their skills. A few performances later, Claudia Loazia and Ana Ortiz’s preschoolers showed off their cha-cha moves.

Shelly Molina and Dana Tomlinson’s sixth-grade classes from Emory Elementary school tangoed to Shakira’s song “Objection.” Melinda Seubert and her fourth-grade class did the waltz.

The Bayside kindergarten students and Sunnyslope first-graders from Nena Pinedo and Haydee Loces-Romo’s classes also performed the cha-cha.

Wood’s first-grade class from IB Elementary danced the fox-trot and Maritess Watkins and her students tangoed on stage. 

Mendoza Elementary was represented by Laura Cappadona’s fifth-graders and the fourth-grade class of Teresa Vaca. The fifth-graders did the tango while the fourth-graders swing danced.

Students from Wolf Canyon Elementary School, in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, impressed with their tango and Cumberland square dances.

Not to be outdone, the sixth-grade class belonging to Mary Connole-Howard at Oneonta Elementary School cha-chaed to the music.

Second-graders from Erica Montoya’s class at Central Elementary School also did the merengue.

The performance also included two featured performances by Karl Czacka and Alexandra Smirnova, who waltzed and fox-trotted.

Wood said this event is for the kids.

“It is for them to learn something different and gets them outside,” she said. “There are some kids that just can't handle sitting behind the desk all day long, so it keeps them moving.”