Dance Moves From the Streets to the Classroom

Oct. 16, 2007— -- Footworkin', a Chicago-born street dance that incorporates fast movements of the arms and the feet, was created 20 years ago by street gangs as a way to battle one another without using violence.

And now this unusual dance, a mixture of break dancing, African dance and tap that also incorporates facial features, has made its way from the streets to the schools.

"We said, 'How can we help our community?" said Andre Minto, a 22-year-old teacher's assistant at an inner-city school in Chicago. "And a couple of ways we thought we could do that was to be building character with youth. And we said, 'Hey, footworkin' is a great way to do that … It's telling a story with your body."

Minto said the dance has made a big impact on some of his students. For kids like Maurice Hughes, the West Side of Chicago is a tough place to grow up. Hughes' mom, Genova, is a single parent who works full-time, and she is aware of her son's struggles.

"He has an anger problem," she said. "He gets mad at me and he stomps off."

In Chicago, young black children are more likely than any other group to drop out of school, get arrested and spend time behind bars, according to the Shott Foundation for Public Education and the U.S. Department of Justice.

"You know, they really see a lot early," Minto explained. "Things that people get to see in R movies they get to see up close and personal at a young age."

In January, the Hughes family received devastating news. Maurice's 5-year-old brother, Trevion, was diagnosed with cancer.

According to his teacher, Jacquel Thomas, Maurice, a fifth- grader at Catalyst Charter School, was deeply affected by this news.

"He's gone through a lot," said Thomas. "He has seen his brother go through a lot. Maurice is so smart. … He's such a joy when he is at his best, and I want him there all the time."

But he's not always at his best, especially in the classroom, said Thomas.

"Outbursts, throwing books across the classroom, yelling at his classmates, yelling at his teachers," Thomas said.