Teach Performing Arts to Disadvantaged Children

In 2011, I taught dance lessons to some of Volunteer for the Visayans sponsorered children at their main community center in Bliss. The center was conveinently located within 20 feet of my homestay and living amidst the community members and sponsored children made it super easy to connect with my dancers. We started off with all girls but I was able to collect one little boy along the way. We started our dance lessons with just basic rhythmic exercises sprawling the width of the center, practiced stretching, and some basic dance moves. Then I taught the girls an entire dance, over a few weeks practicing inside the center once a week on the weekend. The girls were very responsive, giggly at the moves, but eager to learn. When the dance was prepared the only bad part about teaching them was that the class had to end, they nervously performed the dance on the plaza for my farewell party guests. After completing it the first time they begged me to let them try again so they could really show their skills. Teaching dance in the Philippines with VFV was an amazing experience. I taught dance classes in the U.S. for multiple years, but teaching the VFV sponsored children was even more rewarding and helped me expand my capabilities as a teacher. I feel it was a great way to boost their kids confidence too!