Plé! Allegro! Turn-out! Any age can make learning to dance seem like a hard process. The mind naturally generates a myriad of excuses for not doing it. However, Puma on The Beat is a fun group of dancers who want to share different dance styles and music amongst each other and is making it a little easier for students to learn.
Every Tuesday afternoon from 1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Patty Adams, a gym staffer at Arapahoe Community College (ACC), devotes an hour and a half to teaching her love of dance to Elevate, a six year program at ACC run by Jennifer Woegens and Charity Aymami, for students and college goers who may have a learning disability or require additional support throughout their college experience. Additional support can range anywhere from help on a test or quiz to modified class work.
Melissa Salazar, Gabby Fraikor and Caley Elliot, three ACC students who shared a passion for dancing, sought out an area away from the student lounge of the main building where they could display their unique dancing ability. This led to the discovery of ACC’s dance studio, located within their gym.
Salazar, Fraikor and Elliot, founded the ACC Dance Club, Puma on the Beat, in the fall of 2022, with Salazar having previously danced for the Denver Broncos Cheerleading squad. “After class, when we get to go to the clubs we selected at the start of the school year, including dance, is when our day is at it’s best,” says Elliot.
Fraikor states in an interview. “Patty started to teach dance in February 2023, because she says all dance styles need the basic skills.” Learning the fundamentals of ballet will help develop more advanced dance skills, such as tango, swing, hip-hop and many others to come.
A soundproof space with the audio equipment needed, and away from the student body, where you can express yourself. In addition, Puma on The Beat allows you to connect and share your passion for dance with people who come from a wide variety of dance levels.
“What really caught my attention is the fact that students have the freedom to create choreography that appeals to them,” says Adams, working to encourage students to discover their inner dancer. Patty, now the official instructor, is getting the chance to continue what she has found joy in.
Hi Dalton,
I liked your article! I also liked the structure, every idea was natural and led to another in a way that made sense and was easy to read. Starting with the idea of dance, to the instructor and being detailed about who she is and what she does, along with what the program is for, and then to the students was great. My only nitpick is that the quotes could've stood out a bit more if you spaced them out more from everything and gave them their own line.
Hey Dalton, I loved reading your post. I thought that the material was inspiring and uplifting. This is really impactful work. I thought your website design was professional and easy to navigate. I really liked that you included a video. The photo was a nice touch as well and I liked that you named everyone. This made the article feel personal and real. Overall, great job!
Dalton,
Thanks for sharing this really cool club and opportunity at Arapahoe Community College! Overall, I was really impressed by the journalistic standard of your website and blog post. You did a great job at incorporating vital elements into your blog. Pictures complete with captions, hyperlinks, quotations and even videos! All of these media elements really made me feel immersed into the story and the message you were trying to convey. The content of your blog matched up nicely with the nature of your blog and the design you already have in place. If I were to give any constructive feedback, I would add that some of the content was just a little harder to follow due to some minuscule…