Rosette Gonzales
Some students tripped over their own feet trying to concentrate on
the beat while watching their dance instructor in the mirror.
But it was only the first day of the pop dance class at Olive
Recreation Center.
By the eighth, the 7- to 13-year-olds will have improved 100%,
dance instructor Teri Richardson said.
She's had many repeat students since 2000 when she began
instructing dance through the city's Park, Recreation and Community
Services Department.
The department offers workshops and classes year-round in a range
of subjects, including art, dance and music, in all levels.
Its summer classes offer an opportunity to continue learning or
get a taste of something new like Middle Eastern belly dancing or
stand-up comedy.
"I wanted to know how to dance in middle school," said Andrew
Davis, 11, one of two boys brave enough to take Richardson's pop
dance class with nearly 20 girls.
During the 50-minute instruction, Andrew and the others learned
how to count their steps and do a few jazz and hip-hop moves.
Music pumped out of a boom box at the front of the class and
children followed their leader tirelessly in coordinated hand and
foot moves, kicks and hip sways.
Richardson has also taught adult dance classes but joked that
parents were too chicken to come back.
Her classes teach a great deal of technique in only eight weeks
and the serious students return in the fall, she said.
But for those with two left feet, Burbank's Park, Recreation and
Community Services Department offers an array of enrichment workshops
like acting, sports, yoga and fencing.
Registration is taken up to the second class meeting and some
sports are drop-in.
A recreation guide is available at the Creative Arts Center, 1100
W. Clark Ave., and lists the schedule and cost of classes.
"Each year is busier than the previous summer because we keep
adding more classes," recreation coordinator Rick Herbert said.
Whether a recreation class is just for fun or a way to keep skills
from going stale over the lazy days of summer, the prices allow
people to try a lot for a little amount of money, said Jackie Baron,
a parent whose 8-year-old daughter Kendall has taken ballet, tap and
pop dance through the community center.
"It's really affordable," Baron said. "If [Kendall] went somewhere
else we could only afford one class, where here, we can afford
three."
Workshops and classes started Monday but many have second sessions
beginning in July and August.
Registration is at the Creative Arts Center.
