Thais Leitão
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - The Dancing to Take the Right Step project, which promotes social inclusion and encourages cultural participation through classical ballet instruction for 450 children in 11 poor communities in Rio de Janeiro, is celebrating two victories: its tenth anniversary and the tenth ballerina trained in its classrooms to study abroad.

Daiane da Silva is departing today (19) on a quest to make her new dreams come true. The 13 year-old, who lives in Rocinha, one of the largest shantytowns in Rio de Janeiro, is on her way to Berlin, Germany, where she will attend a five-year specialized training program at the Staatliche Ballettschule, the German government's school of dance.

Daiane jointed the project in 2002, after attending a Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theater presentation of the Nutcracker Suite. "That was when I fell in love with the dance," she said. Today, after three years of dedication, she feels ready to embark on new flights. "Dance changed my life; it made me more responsible. I shall miss my family, but I want to resolve my life over there. First I shall think about making my dream come true, then I shall think about the rest," she affirmed.

The family supports her. "I shall miss my daughter, but I know it will be good for her. Since the beginning I have stood by her side. I worry thinking about her here alone in the slum during the day. There she will be working and growing. She will be successful," remarked her mother, Antônia da Silva, who works as a nursemaid and only gets a day off every 15 days.

The project, which is sponsored by Petrobrás, with support from the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), has already sent children to countries that have a tradition in ballet, such as Cuba, Austria, and Germany. Created in 1995 by Thereza Aguilar, who was a ballerina with the National Ballet of Cuba, the project is aimed at needy orphan children who have lost both parents. "I was impressed by the Ballet of Cuba, and, when I returned to Brazil, I thought: I must do something for my country, too," she recalled.

As an extension of the project to help children, Dancing with the Family was created last year. Through this project, 20 mothers of children who are studying ballet have the chance to return to the schoolroom and finish their studies. Some receive literacy training, while others complete secondary school. There are also those who prepare for college entrance examinations.

"We perceived the need to development projects that encompass the entire family, which helps the self-esteem of these mothers, who have to care for their children and, often, to work," said the founder of the project. To ensure their attendance at Dancing with the Family, the mothers receive bus passes and food baskets.

Translation: David Silberstein