Emmanuel Ballet Academy

Emmanuel Ballet Academy began in the summer of 2001 as part of Emmanuel Ministries. In March of 2001 Kirsten Anna Avelar was dancing with the Milwaukee Ballet Company when God called her to Juarez, Mexico to teach classical ballet to our children. She had been there on several occasions as a short-term missionary and we, too, believe that she was to be part of our community. The leadership at Emmanuel had seen the positive impact of dance for our girls in Kirsten's previous visits.

In Mexico ballet is considered to be an art form that only the middle and upper classes are able to enjoy. Here at Emmanuel we are blessed to make this gift available to our children and affordable to our community. We believe through offering dance classes to the community we can reach out to them in a tangible and practical way. We are hoping to grow together in the Lord with our dance, for He is a God of excellence.

Since 2001 we have seen tremendous growth in our students. Children who once were afraid of being touched because of a history of physical abuse in their families are now blossoming in the classroom and hugging everyone with whom they come in contact. Other children who had low self-esteem because of neglect or mistreatment are now dancing and leaping down the streets and in the hallways of Emmanuel Children's Home.

The children in the dance program have seen God's amazing love and grace for them. That has given them the courage and ability to be the best they can be in the classroom, at home, and in the community in which they live.

By taking dance classes children learn about another culture, its history and its language. They also learn to be responsible for coming to class on time and remembering the material that they have learned in previous classes. Working in groups, working by themselves, musicality, discipline, proper posture, alignment and awareness of their bodies are some of the other benefits of dance. Students gain confidence in themselves not only physically, but mentally as well. Dance classes create an opportunity for children to excel outside the normal academic classroom.

At the end of every semester the students at Emmanuel Ballet Academy participate in a full-length dance production. Parents, friends, relatives, and the community watch and encourage the students. Students have a sense of accomplishment as they display newfound skills and have friends and family see them perform dance with a Christian message.

Emmanuel Ballet Academy relies solely on the support from individual and company sponsors. Besides finances, we are always in need of classroom materials (dance music, videos, books, magazines), props (hula hoops, scarves, anatomy charts), promotional materials, new or gently used costumes, food for performance days, etc.

We invite you to partner with us in this important ministry. Your prayers, presence, and financial support will help us to continue to make a difference through dance. See our Sponsor a Dancer forms for more detailed information.