RIZE is a non-profit organization based in Reading, Pennsylvania, founded to provide children with free arts education. To Edna Garcia-Dipini, RIZE’s founder, the arts are a vital form of self-expression–a means of giving a voice to those who participate. RIZE was created to give Reading’s youth that voice.
The teachers and staff of RIZE provide a spirit of service and a safe, fun location for youth to express themselves through movement. The atmosphere of the weekly Wednesday dance classes crackles with the energy of 20 or more kids in the dance studio all tirelessly jumping, bouncing, and dancing to a pulsing hip hop beat. Some are quiet and reserved, others are leaping into splits on the dance-floor, but ALL are dancing: speaking through movement.
Three mothers interviewed about the effect that RIZE has had on their children said:
- “Kids need to be active, and kids need to be exposed to new things, and [participating in RIZE] is a great way to do that.”(Martha)
- “It’s a confidence builder….When they perform and see the reactions that people have just by seeing them dance and have fun, it just makes them happy because…their hard work is paying off.”(Jeanette)
- “They’re really inclusive….as long as [the kids] want to have fun, that’s the name of the game… they’ve been really open and inviting.”(Angelique)
RIZE’s students leave the class every week having received physical activity, positive social interaction, and an increased sense of self-confidence: the students of RIZE are given a voice.
By Amanda Martin
