July 11, 2007
In the Classroom: Take a peek into an FV ballet class
Girls take the barre at a Boys and Girls Club dance class.
By DANIELLE GLAZER and SUSAN J. PARK
STAFF WRITERS
Dressed in sparkling tutus and pink tights, the 12 girls attending the Clubhouse Dance Academy ballet class on Monday leapt across the dance floor even before class began.
They weren't the only ones eager to start.
Tawny Griffiths, who teaches dance at the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley to children ages 2 to 12, gathered the children in a circle around her. After stretching their arms and legs, the students rushed to the barre, where they practiced the five basic ballet positions.
During the 50-minute class, the children practiced their "fancy French" jumps, skips and twirls.
"I was bad at everything when I started," Griffiths told the girls, encouraging them when they tripped or fell.
She rewarded the aspiring ballerinas by giving them enthusiastic high-fives after every exercise and rainbow-colored stamps at the end of class.
Information: Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, 10200 Slater Ave., 714-593-0753, www.clubhouseacademy.com.
Meet the Teacher
Tawny Griffiths, a 25-year-old Long Beach resident, started teaching at the Clubhouse Academy Dance program four years ago.
The once-shy dance student found her calling early when she decided she wanted to be like the patient teachers who helped her find her self-assurance.
Currently, she teaches more than 200 children multiple forms of dance. The View asked her a few questions about the Academy and why she teaches.
Q: What types of dance do you teach?
A:Tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and cheer/dance.
Q:Do classes lose attendance in the summer?
A:Usually, our current students take a break, and then we have other students enroll for the first time. Our goal is to keep the summer kids in there longer than just the summer. I usually tell them there's a recital in December, and the kids look at the pictures of the recitals on the wall and they say "I want to do that."
Q: Why did you start teaching for the Clubhouse Academy?
A: I moved up here to dance at Cal State Fullerton. One of my co-workers told me about it, and it spiked my interests.
Q: What do children get out of dance classes?
A:They learn to work together as a group. They also learn discipline, coordination and balance. And in ballet, they learn graceful and soft movements with their hands.