ORLANDO BALLET SCHOOL

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

S.T.E.P.S Program, (Scholarship Training for the Enrichment of Primary Students) is targeted to reach at-risk children. S.T.E.P.S. is designed to inspire these children to stay in school and possibly even discover a career path. Students engage in dance as a positive after school activity, and the program has been shown to limit the incidence of at-risk related behavior. This program is modeled after a similar award-winning program developed by New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem.

The Orlando Ballet School began the S.T.E.P.S. program in 1992 to expand the services of Orlando Ballet’s mission to “educate, and uplift individuals of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds.” The program began with a handful of students from Rock Lake Elementary. Since that time the program has reached more than 600 students. The overall program currently reaches 40 students per year.