It's not unusual for parents to put their little ones in a dance class to help them work on their physical development. The most common classes involve ballet or jazz, but one Seattle dance studio is hoping hip-hop will give even the youngest dancers more than just the right moves.
The classes happen a few times a week in the studio that is home to Seattle’s famous dance crew Massive Monkees. On Saturday mornings, the crew that gathers there is less pop and lock and more tot and snot.
Teacher Anna “Banana” Freeze is a dancer with the Monkees and calls these kids her “favorite group of humans to communicate with.”
Every class, they're invited on-by-one to the center floor to strut their stuff and dance the way they like. Parents line the dance floor. And although they might now know it, Freeze says the class is also for them.
“There’s totally lessons for adults,” she said. “You don't have to dance in front of everyone else in order to be considered a dancer. You don't have to do your thing in front of everyone else for your thing to be real."
Letting loose and letting go. Working hard and believing in yourself. The class is full of important lessons and smiles. In some small way, Freeze hopes these few seconds of freedom stick with these little ones long after the songs fade.
“Maybe later in life when they do anything scary, they just think oh I can do this I just have to practice or work on it.”
