Yes, You Can Dance! is excited to be partnering with Allegheny Family Network to bring our dance team to their annual Mother and Son Luncheon at the Macy’s Department Store in downtown Pittsburgh. In case you do not know already, Allegheny Family Network is a great Non-Profit that provides a number of services to children with Special Needs. Taken from their website, the mission of Allegheny Family Network is “To support and partner with families raising children who have emotional and mental health needs in order to improve their quality of life.”  

As much as we would love you all to be there, this performance is not open to the public.

Special Needs Ballroom Program Director, Chris Roth proudly poses with the team.

Our team composed of 6 dancers and 6 volunteer dance mentors had been practicing a lot, spending many hours at Steel City Ballroom rehearsing their Waltz Routine to the song “Rainbow Connection.” But their hard work certainly paid off! The team performed to a standing ovation, and many audience members were so moved by the performance that tears filled their eyes. In case you missed their performance, make sure to check out the video footage! CLICK HERE to watch the performance on YouTube! 

From left to right: Dance Mentor Jennifer Freel with Ray San Pedro, Dance Mentor Tony Delitto with Maria Fenlock, and Dance Mentor Ronna Delitto with Bobby Walsh.

From left to right: Dance Mentor Liz Koenig with Matt Dee, Dance Mentor Jeff Campbell with Dana Belasco, and Dance Mentor Barbara Johnson with Alex Graysay.  

As May brings the close of another great Pittsburgh dance season, there are many performances happening throughout the month. From contemporary and multimedia dance, to improvisation and ballroom dance, there is a show for everyone. Here is just a sampling of what our local dance scene has to offer next month.

See the full article here.

Dancing Through the Decades with Dance Caliente is an exciting 1-hour interactive  social dance performance that takes audiences members on a  journey from the 1800s to the present. The performance is geared for Senior Citizen audiences, and unlike other dance performances, in this show EVERYONE dances, even if from their seats!

After the performance, audience members let us know that the show took them back to their youth! They were able to reminisce about the times they did the Jitterbug or the Charleston or partner danced with that special someone.

Watch dancers Eileen Herman-Haase and Raul Nieves perform the Charleston!

Watch Raul lead the audience in a dance, right from their seats!

Watch Eileen and Raul Salsa!

Watch Eileen Salsa with audience members!

Watch Eileen and Raul share in a Waltz!

But the fun is not over yet! Dancing Through the Decades with Dance Caliente still has 2 more performances in Pittsburgh. On Thursday, April 11th they will be performing for senior audiences at Charles Morris Skilled Nursing as well as the JCC Squirrel Hill.

Save the date, you do not want to miss this performance! The Fashion Show event is on Sunday, April 28th from 11am-2pm (doors open at 10am). Our team will be performing right at noon to kick off the Fashion Show!

We hope you can make it, not only to cheer on the team, but also to support our partner, PA Connecting Communities! This event is a fundraiser for a huge Special Needs organization in Pennsylvania that many, if not all of Special Needs Ballroom students are involved with! Please spread the word! Tickets are $35 which includes a tasty brunch meal and $10 of game play at the casino. To purchase your tickets call Wendy Jankowski at 412.417.6223 or email her at wjankowski@paconnectingcommunities.org.

For more information, check out the event flyer.