Dancing for Donations has been a driving force in the dance community in Brandon. The local nonprofit’s mission is to make dance more available to people of all ages and abilities in the Tampa Bay area and give back to the community.
Owner Sara Battaglia believes strongly in making dance accessible for everyone in the community.
“Since things are starting to get back to normal in our community after COVID, I wanted to start offering more classes and reaching more children in our community,” Battaglia said. “I wanted to offer some free dance classes to children in foster care.”
Battaglia reached out to the different foster care programs in the community to see if there would be an interest in her offer.
“I was absolutely shocked by how many foster care children wanted to take my classes,” Battaglia said. “I partnered with Girls With Confidence and BFF Kidz to help host the dance classes. We are looking to start offering the classes at the beginning of April.”
Dancing for Donations was recently selected by 100 Women Who Care Riverview/FishHawk to receive a donation from the group.
“It was an honor and a blessing to be selected by these wonderful ladies,” Battaglia said. “The money from this donation will go towards the classes for foster care students as well as other programs I’d like to offer at Dancing for Donations. Our lease is also up in a few months at our current location and we will be using some of this donation to help us secure a new location in the community.”
Battaglia hopes she can offer more classes to foster children. “Dance, just like all forms of art, is extremely therapeutic,” Battaglia said. “I want to be able to offer more dance programs to all children and adults too. All of our lives were turned upside down from the recent pandemic and I want Dancing for Donations to be able to offer a place for our community to come and feel good again and feel great from dancing.”
To learn more about the classes offered at Dancing for Donations or to donate to the nonprofit, visit www.dancing4donations.org or call 601-3009. Dancing for Donations is located at 1076 E. Brandon Blvd., Ste. 101.
