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Group teaching students to dance

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A group that teaches children to dance, sometimes introducing them to dance for the first time, has expanded.

Kids Dance Outreach (KDO) started in 2012 and partnered with about 12 Indianapolis Public Schools. 

This semester it expanded full-time to IPS Super School 19 on the southeast side of Indianapolis.

Once a week for about 45 minutes to an hour, students in the school get to dance and move. It is something the school’s principal believes is important.

“We believe exercise builds brain cells. We want to incorporate movement as much as we can all throughout the building so we thought it would be a great opportunity to turn our music program into a performing arts program,” IPS Super School 19 principal John McClure.

Part of the reason KDO started was to introduce children to dance who otherwise may miss out on the opportunity.

“The goal is to inspire excellence and infuse their lives with art in a way that they may have never been exposed to or may never be exposed to otherwise,” said KDO instructor Monica Munoz.

For Jordynn, who is in second grade, the dance moves are a lot of fun. 

“My favorite thing to do is dance. You need to get real much focused to do things as perfect as you want them to be,” she said.

KDO staff said the biggest thing they struggle with is continued funding. They hope to further expand into more schools.