University of Southern Mississippi senior elementary education major Laura Catherine Dawson has already found her spot at the head of a class full of students, a dance class that is. Dawson is the founder and head instructor of the Leaps of Faith dance program. The program is a free of charge after school ministry born out of a partnership between Edwards Street Fellowship, Earl Travillion Attendance Center and Dawson’s personal mission to start a free dance company.
Dawson started dancing at two-years old. The Hattiesburg native studied classical ballet at South Mississippi Ballet Theatre until she graduated from high school and since then she has been an instructor at On Your Toes Dance Studio. After starting Leaps of Faith in September …show more content…
Dawson described how they are currently preparing for auditions for the Nutcracker ballet. She believes this will force the girls to work together to do their best so they can have a role in the South Mississippi Ballet Theatre’s performance at Hattiesburg’s Saenger Theatre in …show more content…
“The change was immediate. Having this common goal is really uniting them,” she said.
As for Dawson, Leaps of Faith is a dream come true. She recently rediscovered her yearbook from sophomore year of high school, and listed under her future goals and dreams was the desire to own a free dance program. Dawson, her thirteen third-graders, and support from volunteers and donors have made that a reality.
The current students’ dance shoes and leotards were donated from local studios and Dawson recently received a $250 grant from the Hattiesburg Junior Auxiliary to purchase matching ballet shoes for the Nutcracker.
Leaps of Faith currently has a waiting list and Dawson hopes to add more students in the future, but she is in no rush. “I’d rather help a small number of kids and really make a difference in their lives, than help a hundred kids and just make them happy,” Dawson
Dawson started dancing at two-years old. The Hattiesburg native studied classical ballet at South Mississippi Ballet Theatre until she graduated from high school and since then she has been an instructor at On Your Toes Dance Studio. After starting Leaps of Faith in September …show more content…
Dawson described how they are currently preparing for auditions for the Nutcracker ballet. She believes this will force the girls to work together to do their best so they can have a role in the South Mississippi Ballet Theatre’s performance at Hattiesburg’s Saenger Theatre in …show more content…
“The change was immediate. Having this common goal is really uniting them,” she said.
As for Dawson, Leaps of Faith is a dream come true. She recently rediscovered her yearbook from sophomore year of high school, and listed under her future goals and dreams was the desire to own a free dance program. Dawson, her thirteen third-graders, and support from volunteers and donors have made that a reality.
The current students’ dance shoes and leotards were donated from local studios and Dawson recently received a $250 grant from the Hattiesburg Junior Auxiliary to purchase matching ballet shoes for the Nutcracker.
Leaps of Faith currently has a waiting list and Dawson hopes to add more students in the future, but she is in no rush. “I’d rather help a small number of kids and really make a difference in their lives, than help a hundred kids and just make them happy,” Dawson