It takes two to tango

Fourth-graders at Willow Road School learned some new moves this year through a ballroom dancing program. It is the second year the program has been held in the District 13 school.

A cotillion — a dance exhibition — was held on April 8. Students, many wearing suits and dresses, showed off the dances they learned including the merengue, foxtrot, tango, rumba, swing and waltz. Many parents attended, as did grandparents, who are familiar with a lot of the dances. “It really brought back many fond memories from their days,” Principal Stephanie Capozzoli said.

About 60 students participated in the program, offered through CoDanceCo and American Ballroom Theater’s Dancing Classrooms. It was funded by the Willow Road PTA and children had 10 weeks of instruction in their physical education class.

Capozzoli said the students switched partners throughout their instruction and had to learn to be more comfortable with each other. “It didn’t only teach the children about dances,” she said of the program, “but it taught them about being respectful toward one another. It taught them manners.”