Feb 1, 2006 9:19 pm US/Pacific
Judy Bretschneider: Teaching Children To Dance
by Kate Kelly
(CBS 5)
When this week's Jefferson Award winner beat breast cancer, she saw a wonderful opportunity. With a new lease on life, she'd create a richer experience for children who otherwise could not afford it.
"I just believed that everybody should believe that something beautiful can come in life," says Judy Bretschneider, founder of the Presidio Dance Theatre, a non-profit academy dedicated to bringing the art of dance to children.
"We work really hard to teach children about the different cultures," Judy says. "First we start with the dance steps, and then we move into the costumes."
Judy's not a dancer herself. She's the mother of ballerina Sherene Melania. As a mom, Judy was enchanted by the effect dancing and performance had on her daughter.
"I feel my happiest when I'm on stage, and I think my mom really saw that and wanted to give opportunities to other children to experience the same things," Sherene says.
While Sherene teaches, Judy arranges all the details, like the elaborate costumes she buys in Europe. It's all part of an emphasis on folk and international dance for young students like Madeline and Ryan Chan.
"The fun part about dance is that after I've worked hard a long time, I like performing a lot," Madaline says.
"My favorite part of dancing is learning new steps and perfecting them," says Ryan.
With help from Presidio Dance Theatre, Christine Chan can afford to bring Madeline and Ryan to their lessons, three times a week.
"They love it so much," Christine says. "It's like a drama and play and dance all in one! It's very cute."
Christine's children wouldn't have even thought about taking dance classes if it hadn't come to their public school, free of charge, as part of Presidio Dance Theatre's outreach program.
"The schools have absolutely no funding to do anything for the children and the teachers are even bringing in crayons," Judy says. "And there's no way the schools are going to have costume money or anything."
So, teachers from Presidio Dance also teach class at schools in several San Francisco neighborhoods. Madeline and Ryan learned their first steps at Robert Lewis Stevenson Elementary in the Sunset. And for those students who are inspired to learn more, there are scholarships to the Academy in the Presidio.
Today, kids from 50 different schools work together for performances, and Judy works tirelessly to bring all a comprehensive dance education.
"It's just very rich for the children to learn and appreciate what is different and what is similar in all these people," Judy says. "(There's no question that) if the children are prepared because of their understanding from an early age, they'll be better citizens…whether it comes from dance or music or costumes or just meeting people, they'll be open."
So for opening the world of dance, and the world at large, to the children of San Francisco, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Judy Bretschneider.
The future of the dance theater's school outreach program is in jeopardy. Lack of funding has suspended dance classes in the Bayview. The Richmond and Sunset Districts face similar cutbacks.
To support the program, or for information on upcoming performances,
click here.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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