All she wants to do is (teach students to) dance
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 2, 2017 5:50 AM
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Rainee Coakley has taken dance lessons for 12 of her 16 years. A junior at Wayne School of Engineering, where students are required to participate in 40 hours of volunteer service, has chosen to share her passion for dance with third-graders at Carver Heights Elementary School. She launched a GoFundMe page to fund the program for students unable to afford dance lessons.
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Rainee Coakley has taken dance lessons for 12 of her 16 years. A junior at Wayne School of Engineering, where students are required to participate in 40 hours of volunteer service, has chosen to share her passion for dance with third-graders at Carver Heights Elementary School. She launched a GoFundMe page to fund the program for students unable to afford dance lessons.
Mention the popular TV shows "So You Think You Can Dance" and "World of Dance" and Rainee Coakley's face lights up.
The junior at Wayne School of Engineering has been taking dance classes for 12 of her 16 years, from ballet and pointe to hip hop, jazz and contemporary styles.
So when it came time to settle upon what to do to fulfill her school's requisite community service hours, the options quickly narrowed.
"I wanted to do something that I was really passionate about, that I knew I was good at," she said.
It helped that her mom, Rhonda Coakley, is an AIG (academically and intellectually gifted) specialist at Carver Heights Elementary School, she said.
"We knew that the kids there would love to dance," Rainee said, adding that she visited the school to gauge interest. "All the third grade girls came in. I danced for them.
"When we asked if anyone was interested in taking dance lessons, almost all of the girls raised their hands."
Permission slips have been sent home to parents, she said, and teachers will help select the 16 girls for the dance class starting Oct. 4.
Her plan is to teach, one day a week, students who have not been introduced to dance or able to afford lessons.
"I knew that it needed a lot of money because I'm paying for it -- the tights, leotards, etc.," she said. "I want everything to be free for them.
Rainee launched a Go Fund Me page, "Introduce Dance to Carver Heights" with a $1,000 goal. To date, she has raised $565.
The money is earmarked for shoes, tights, leotards and such materials as dance barre bars and mirrors.
"All the money that I raise extra, that's not going to be spent on the shoes and tights, I'm going to use it to buy tickets for a recital, like 'Dance for Christ,' so no money is going to me," she said.
"There are many links between dance and classroom success, and I hope to do all I can to facilitate a love for the art of dance."
She cited her own recent experience as a motivation for wanting to pass on the passion.
This past summer, she participated in a three-week summer intensive at Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. The audition opportunity covered ballet, hip hop, jazz and contemporary forms of dance.
"I'm quite sure if I did not go on that trip, I would not have the courage to do this class (at Carver Heights)," Rainee said. "It definitely helped me step out of my comfort zone."