A program in Europe that deals with school dropouts and youth who are in trouble with the law is turning many around.
Katrin Bennhold writes for the NY Times about Dance United. “This is no ordinary dance company. The young people at Dance United have a background in trouble, not ballet. …
“Referred by schools, parents and more often youth services, they train six hours a day for six weeks with professional contemporary coaches in a highly disciplined dance boot camp. …
“On average, 7 in 10 make it onto the stage; of those, 8 in 10 return to mainstream education or work, and more than 3 in 4 do not commit offenses or become repeat offenders. One in 10 even goes on to study dance professionally, with one Dance United graduate, Matthew-Jay Pratt, now in his final year at the competitive Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London.
“It is one of the most original and successful youth engagement programs in Britain, costing its private and public backers about $3,000 per person but saving society an estimated $128,000 in legal costs and welfare benefits, according to New Philanthropy Capital, a research firm that calculates returns for donors to charity. …
“Dance United started out in the 1990s, working with Ethiopian street children, youths in post-reunification Germany and young Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. …
“Ask Trey what he has learned and he eagerly shows off his favorite move: a long sideways jump, his face and chest turned skyward and his arms wide open.
“But he has also learned about getting up in the morning, even when his mother is still asleep, and how to follow a healthy diet. …
“And Trey has learned about books and the power to take control of your own story.” More.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Thank you for writing about us in your blog! If you’re ever in Europe, please get in touch – we’d love to share our work with you.
That particular video is not of our work! They have the same name as us but are based in Germany.
Our videos can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/danceunited
and here: http://www.youtube.com/user/danceuniteduk
All best,
Oliver (in behalf of Dance United)
Thanks so much! I will replace the video. Love the whole idea.