SOUTH SIDE BALLET SCHOOL GIVES DANCERS OF COLOR A WELL ROUNDED EXPERIENCES

Kristi Andarcia put her graduate schooling on hold to open the Kenwood School of Ballet and has made it her mission to create more affordable and well-rounded dance experiences for young people on the south side. Photo Credit: Kenwood School of Ballet
Kristi Andarcia put her graduate schooling on hold to open the Kenwood School of Ballet and has made it her mission to create more affordable and well-rounded dance experiences for young people on the south side. Photo Credit: Kenwood School of Ballet

Southside Ballet School Gives Dancers Of Color A Well Rounded Experiences

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Back in 2012 when Kristi Andarcia founded the Kenwood School of Ballet, 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd., she was in the middle of completing a masters degree in occupational therapy. Motivated by her love of teaching ballet and seeing a great need for affordable dance classes on the south side of Chicago, she decided to put her education on hold and open a dance studio.

“I had my undergraduate degree in ballet and I knew that I wanted to continue teaching because children had always been a big part of my life. I had been teacher for many years and I knew I was good at it. I started by walking around the neighborhood and putting some flyers on cars. I started off with nine children and through word of mouth, it just grew exponentially and as the kids kept coming, I decided to put grad school on hold and just see where it would go,” said Andarcia.

The Kenwood School of Ballet got its start as ITwirl Dance Programs which simply offered community dance classes. Over time, the students kept coming and classes kept growing and Andarcia noticed that there was a need for a more affordable and inclusive dance training in the neighborhood.

Today, Andarcia has over 200 students at the Kenwood School of Ballet and hopes to keep expanding.

As the class sizes at the Kenwood School of Ballet grew, so did it’s program offerings. Andarcia went from teaching ballet to now offering classes in hip hop, jazz, tap, and aerobatic arts. She said that this is partly because of the way dance is evolving but also because she wants her dancers to have more well-rounded training.

“I want my kids to be better so that when they walk into a room you can’t deny them. They are more athletic, they know how to go upside down and do inversions, they are phenomenally strong but they are also beautiful and graceful and smart. They have the whole package,” said Andarcia.

“The world of dance is evolving and becoming more athletic so that was part of it but it’s more so that I just wanted them to be monsters when they go out there and know their worth and know what they have to offer.”

A majority of the students at the Kenwood School of Ballet are African American with a good mix of male and female students. Knowing that dancers of color are in the minority, especially in the world of ballet, Andarcia has set out to make sure that her students are ready for whatever challenge or audition they might face.

“You are going to have it harder just because you are a dancer of color so you have to work harder and the kids get that and it’s not shocking for them to hear that come out of my mouth. They know that things are harder for them because of the color of their skin,” said Andarcia.

To learn more about the Kenwood School of Ballet visit www.itwirldance.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.