News

June 9, 2008

For Immediate Release: THE HEAT IS ON AS TORONTO SCHOOLS STEP IT UP FOR THE DANCING CLASSROOMS GRAND TROPHY FINALE!

On MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008, the Palais Royale Ballroom will resound to the jubilant cheers and applause of hundreds of thrilled parents, families, friends and supporters of the TorontoDancing Classrooms Quarter Finalists for Academic Year 2007/08.  Over 100 very excited and proud Grade 4, 5 & 6 students of the Toronto Public & Catholic District School Boards will confidently emulate the elegance and dash of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers on the dance floor as they vie in great camaraderie and sportsmanship to see which  will secure the stunning Colours of the Rainbow Grand Trophy.

The Trophy will be presented by the Palais Royale Ballroom, proud sponsors of the event and a committed community partner to Join the Dance (Canada).  The event culminates the very successful inaugural year of the program in Toronto, and Canada. Join the Dance is pleased to announce that thirty four schools and just over 2500 students have been served with almost all schools seeking to maintain the program for Academic Year 2008/09. The majority are deemed to be among those most in need within the community of schools of the Greater Toronto Area.

Prior to the Grand Trophy, the current Spring Term will culminate with Eleven schools competing in the Semi-Finals on Monday, June 16th. The event will take place in two sessions.  Session 1 will be held at Lord Dufferin Jr. Public School from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.  Session 2 will be held at Brian Jr. Public School from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.  Seven Semi-Finalist Schools will be selected.

The seven semi-finalists will go on to compete at the Quarter Finals on June 17th. This will take place at Lord Dufferin Jr. P.S. from 9:30 – 11:15 a.m. The three Gold Ribbon Champion Schools from this event will compete along with the Quarter Finalist Champions of Terms 1 & 2 at the Grand Trophy event.

Join the Dance is proud to announce that in addition to being the first site across the Dancing Classrooms sites in North America to conduct a program especially for students with significant special needs, this Spring we also were the first to have conducted the program in French. The program was a pilot especially requested by Ecole Elementaire Sacre Coeur of the Toronto French Catholic District School Board, and approved by Pierre Dulaine and American Ballroom Theater, the owners of Dancing Classrooms.  
Dancing Classrooms™ is the brain child of Pierre Dulaine, an internationally acclaimed ballroom champion and teacher extra-ordinaire. Pierre is the subject of Hollywood’s Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas inspired by the now world famous documentary film Mad Hot Ballroom.  Started in 1994 in the inner city schools of New York City, Dancing Classrooms™ is now enthusiastically embraced by educators and community leaders across several major cities in the U.S.A.  Itsphenomenal success and fame has spread to as far as Japan, Australia and Europe, and has inspired others to emulate the program.

In Academic Year 2007/08, over 35,000 students in North America will have participated in this extra-ordinary Character Education program. Join the Dance (Canada) is the Ontario representative for Dancing Classrooms, a registered trade marked program owned by Pierre Dulaine and American Ballroom Theater.  Please visit our website at www.jointhedance.com for more details. Media invited to cover event.

Date: Monday, June 23, 2008
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. . Doors Open at 5:30 p.m. Free Parking.
Admission Fee: $10 per person. Children under 12 Free

Contacts:

Ilsa Abraham, Tel: 905 837 7795
Bob Rutherford, Tel: 416 493 4653