Every Friday at 6pm the preschoolers from Bright Stars Head Start put on their ballet slippers and head to Studio B. The Colorado Ballet offered a discounted rate for ballet lessons in its downtown academy as an extension of the Head Start program, sponsored by the Volunteers of America (VOA).

These children are part of the National Head Start program that offers child ages 3-5 the opportunity to attend preschool at no cost. The families must be at or below poverty line to qualify. For a family of five this means an income of under $24,130 a year. At Bright Stars, Monday through Thursday 76 children are provided an enriching learning environment, 2 meals, and a Family Service Worker to offer support and resources to the parents. The families also have access to cultural venues all over the city though the 5 By 5 project, whose aim is to expose children to 5 different cultural opportunities by the age of 5. These are opportunities that many of these families usually do not have the resources for.

"It is important to help low-income families," said VOA Family Service Worker Felipe Lopez, who helped coordinate the ballet classes. "To see the Hispanic population get involved with the Colorado Ballet is wonderful because they contribute greatly to the spirit and culture of Colorado."

The children at Bright Stars first got introduced to Ballet by Tiffany Pallotto, the Colorado Ballet Education and Outreach Director. Tiffany visited Bright Stars to do an engaging activity with each class. She started with stretches such as "The Toaster", which involves stretching their feet up and down and moved on to teaching the children a variety of creative movements. It was a request from Lopez which prompted continuing the ballet lessons at the Academy.

"Parents wanted to keep children involved but regular academy classes were too expensive," explained Pallotto, "What we've arranged to do is offer the same caliber classes already being taught at our studios for only the price needed to cover costs. Colorado Ballet doesn't profit from this at all. It wasn't something we'd previously considered but there have been a lot more students than I would have expected."

For five dollars, participating children attended a 45-minute class conducted by Colorado Ballet Academy instructor Beth Vinson and were also provided the necessary clothing to dance. The course ran from Feb. 2 for10 weeks and culminated with a reception and recital on April 13 at the Denver Art Museum.

Head Start parents are enthusiastic about the program. "It helps parents get involved in their children's education," said Gabriel Hernandez and wife Elen Villa. "We hope Colorado Ballet continues opening their doors to us to bring a better future to our children."

The ballet classes have encouraged family time. Many Fathers were getting off of work early to attend sessions with their child and wife. It also encourages families to practice at home. It gives families the opportunity to come downtown, a place they rarely venture to. It helps these families, most monolingual Spanish speakers, to feel more comfortable attending the cultural venues downtown. They acquire a new appreciation for art and culture by giving them the opportunity to take advantage of venues normally not available for low-income families.

"Families deserve this opportunity," said Lopez, "Expanding horizons through culture and art is important and this program is a chance to bring the community together. It is a privilege to work with Colorado Ballet."

The program's continuance comes much to the approval of Head Start parent, Alma Ortiz who explained that, "I am very happy that my daughter is attending these classes. I would like for the classes to continue to see how far my daughter can go."

Rainbow Head Start parent, Sharia Crowley, was very excited to hear about the class continuing. A future session would be open to the Rainbow Head Start students, Volunteers of America's other Head Start site. Crowley's daughter, Ie'Mari has continued to show interest in attending Ballet classes, but Crowley has had difficulty finding classes that are affordable.