News

March 10th, 2007

PIERRE WINS OVER TORONTO’S KIDS

On the morning of Saturday, March 10th, La Vita Banquet & Conference Centre in Woodbridge came alive to the lively strains of Ballroom and Latin music, and the joyful voices and laughter of 30 Grade 5 & 6 students who came to enjoy a special training session with Pierre Dulaine, the innovator of Dancing Classrooms™.

The children were greeted with enthusiasm by the Founding Sponsor of the Dancing Classrooms project in Toronto, David Singh and the Destiny Foundation, as well as by Pierre and the members of Join the Dance.  David and his daughter Elesha beamed with pleasure throughout the morning as they experienced first-hand the responses of the various boys and girls (or as Pierre calls them “Ladies and Gentlemen”) as Pierre put them through his special paces. 

Added to the excitement was the arrival of City T.V. and the Toronto Star to conduct coverage of this very special launch of Dancing Classrooms™ in Toronto.  However, to the credit of the students they were not to be daunted by the presence of media as they focused as one to master the basics of Merengue, as well as to learn the importance of partner dancing to help build gender respect, increase cultural sensitivity, and improve general knowledge.

Several of the teachers and many of the parents of the participating students stayed throughout the morning...however, parents were relegated to the foyer by Pierre who jokingly advised them to “go and enjoy some shopping, do the laundry or clean house...whatever you usually do” but “no peeking”.

City T.V. and the Star appeared taken with this very charismatic and extra-ordinary teacher and humanitarian, as were the parents and teachers who met with him following the training to share “tit bits” of the morning and their children’s experiences. 

At the end of the session, two of the students willingly held interviews with City and the Star.  One, a somewhat shy but keen young lady, spoke of the fun she had meeting the other students and learning how to partner with a boy.  The other, a suave and debonair young man, proved not only articulate but most entertaining to the onlookers in the room.  He admitted to feeling “nervous” at first but then expressed how his confidence improved throughout the lesson.  He told the reporter that he found Pierre “funny” and confirmed that he was now looking forward to participating in the program when it commences at his school.

Our sponsor was amazed at the progress the children made throughout the morning and saw for himself the magic of Pierre’s technique.  At break times, Mr. Singh engaged enthusiastically in conversation with the children obviously caught up in their joy.  Later on, he admitted to Pierre and our team that the morning’s experience had fired his own interest now to learn ballroom and latin dance. However, he went on to say that he definitely could not guarantee the outcome.