Sidney Grant put on tap shoes in the second grade and has not stopped dancing since. As an adult, he danced professionally for more than 20 years before founding Ballroom Basix in 2008. Grant’s passion for social dancing and success as an award-winning dancer and choreographer inspired his initiative to benefit inner city kids in New York City. His non-competitive partner dancing program uses the “basix” (named for the six basic steps of the box) of ballroom and Latin dancing to develop the educational, social, and physical skills of its students.
Aptly located in Harlem, the birthplace of swing, Ballroom Basix is influenced by the many famed musicians who made history uptown in the 1930s. Cab Calloway, master of scat singing, led one of the most popular African-American big bands and performed regularly at the Cotton Club. Grant resides in Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio, made famous for salsa and merengue by Latin legends like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. The program’s curriculum thrives in a community rich in history and culture.
The success of Ballroom Basix in upper Manhattan has led to an expansion to the other boroughs, including Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The program, first opened to children in middle school, now includes high school students. During their first year in the program, participants learn to dance the fox trot, tango, merengue, rhumba, swing, and waltz.They are taught the cha-cha-cha, salsa, and the Barn Dance, a country-western favorite, during their second and third years.
Ballroom Basix’s motto is “making manners matter … one step at a time.” As the artistic director, Grant stresses the importance of manners in his classes.
“From a societal and historical perspective, partner dancing was (and still is) about ritual celebration, a community of people coming together to share a connection for a celebratory occasion,” he says. “What the ballroom industry has largely lost sight of is that partner dancing is and always has been about social graces, propriety, and etiquette. To give every child — regardless of shape, size, ability, or popularity — the chance to experience this is incredibly transformational.”
Sixteen-year-old Ferrisa Boodram, who attended the Ballroom Basix flagship school, PS 180, admits that she hated ballroom dancing at first.
“I thought there was no point in learning it, but I realized I was wrong because it helped me with things in life. Now I’m more comfortable walking up to just about anyone and introducing myself, and I found a new me, which I had been trying to find for awhile.”
Her brother, Simeon, says his middle school years of ballroom dancing helped him to overcome many obstacles as well. Now in college, he is more outgoing and proud to be able to walk into new situations with more self-confidence.
As much as the children come to enjoy the program, it is not always easy to get started. Grant stresses the value of qualities unfamiliar to many of today’s youth: discipline and etiquette. Partner dancing delivers a powerful anti-bullying message, he says.
“Children have so much academic and athletic competition in their lives, that they both need and deserve a totally non-competitive activity like this that engenders respect among all classmates,” he says. “One of the most important lessons I try to instill in these students is the realization that in life, we are not always in the company of people we like, but need to behave graciously in spite of it. So, if they’re dancing with someone who isn’t necessarily their friend, even if only for a minute, it is important to treat that person politely, with respect.”
Sixth grade student Rose Flowers appreciates the safe haven Ballroom Basix provides.
“Outside, on the street, people are being so rude and disrespectful to each other, but when you are in here dancing with your partner, you feel respect.”
In the beginning, some students are not comfortable with holding their partner close, looking into each others’ eyes, while maintaining correct posture and a focused mind, but they soon understand why it matters and take what they learn on the dance floor and connect meaningfully in other areas of their lives.
David Ocasio, a recent eighth grade graduate, recalls what it was like before Ballroom Basix came to his school, and recognizes the difference it made in his relationships.
“We didn’t have great communication with each other. When I am making eye contact with people I am dancing with, I can actually read them. I can read their emotion.”
Many of Grant’s students affectionately refer to him as the amazing Dr. Dance, leader of (as Ballroom Basix’s slogan says) “fun, fitness, and fancy footwork,” but he is much more than that — Grant is a talented, generous man who shares his love for social dancing, his dedication to children, and his commitment to education.
His creative curriculum significantly impacts the lives of more than one thousand young people in New York City. Within a diverse, multicultural environment, children are connecting in positive ways while building a strong sense of self-worth. These are valuable lessons they will carry with them — even after the music ends.
For more information, visit www.ballroombasix.com
Laura Varoscak-DeInnocentiis is a writer, educator, and mom living in Brooklyn. A regular contributor to NY Parenting Media, she has won several editorial awards for her articles.
