Prospective young dancers and their parents lined up around Santa Ana’s Wooden Floor from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 for the opportunity to enroll as a student in the program.
Founded in 1983 by Beth Burns, the Wooden Floor began as a summer program for at-risk youth and eventually expanded into two campuses, serving grades three through 12. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide a space for low-income students to engage in community and learn discipline through dance, encouraging enrollment in higher education.
Each year, The Wooden Floor holds auditions for new dancers. The goal is not to scout for students with technique and experience, but rather, they are selected on the basis of financial need and the dancer’s inclination toward movement and self-expression.
“We’ve actually had some families that get here the night before, and they sleep on the ground for the opportunity to be here,” Wooden Floor CEO Dawn Reese said in an interview with Culture OC. “The Wooden Floor is an unbelievable opportunity, and what I see is when they all line up at our front door, just stepping over the threshold of The Wooden Floor is such a life changer for them.”
PHOTO 1: Parents fill out application forms with their children before the start of auditions. PHOTO 2: Children accompanied by a parent are checked in and assigned an audition number by staff member Eusebio Romero, left. PHOTO 3: Student volunteer Sasha Neilson, left, pins an assigned number on Jaylah Tellez, 9, of Santa Ana before the start of auditions. PHOTO 4: Prospective students get the attention of their parents before their audition.
Photos by Paul Rodriguez, Culture OC
Nervous energy buzzes around students and parents alike in this crisp morning air. Many are too engrossed in paperwork, straightening ponytails and pinning numbers to jackets to notice the growing line begin to wrap around the building. The stakes are high for many of these families. Out of the 150-200 students that attend auditions each year, only about 20% of them make it due to space, resource constraints and the high retention rate of existing students (86%).
“Good morning,” a Wooden Floor employee greets families in line. “English or Spanish?”
The Wooden Floor is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year, now serving 475 children year-round, 60% of which come from the Santa Ana Unified School District, though students come from over 20 cities. Through the help of 60 staff members, students receive not only dance education but also family services and college and career readiness.
“When they’re facing difficulties of poverty, we find that they need those wraparound services to help them achieve their dreams,” Reese said.
Many students are the first in their families to go to college. The Wooden Floor has approximately 120 students in universities around the United States, and they may be given scholarships anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 if they meet high school requirements at the time of their graduation. Since 2005, 100% of Wooden Floor students have graduated and enrolled in higher education. If students remain full-time in college, their scholarships are renewable yearly.
On the day of auditions, groups of 30 children at a time are led in number order to a big room with multiple Wooden Floor volunteers and instructors. They remove their shoes before stepping onto the gray Marley flooring and separate into four lines.
“Hello, dancers,” Shelby Monson, a Dance Free Weeks instructor, greets the students in a soft voice. “Hello, good morning!”
The environment is forgiving and welcoming. Each step is slow and simple; volunteers walk around to monitor students and gently correct positions if needed. Here, they are to practice for the real audition upstairs. Monson explains French ballet terms like “port de bras” and “plié” as a live piano accompanist plays while the students stretch and jump and clap.
