--
-- WE'RE
-- WE'RE SHARING STORIES ABOUT TODAY'S HISTORY-MAKERS IN AUSTIN..
..WHO WORK TO MAKE OUR CITY A
BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. TONIGHT -- KVUE'S ASHLEY GOUDEAU
SHARES THE
STORY OF AN AUSTIN DANCER --
WHO'S CREATING
OPPORTUNITIES SHE NEVER HAD
WHILE GROWING UP IN EAST
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN. IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE -- THAT
THE "LIVE MUSIC CAPITOL OF THE WORLD" IS RICH IN
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.
ESPECIALLY DANCE.
NATS: DRUMS PLAYING, PEOPLE
CLAPPING "FIVE, SIX, SEVEN
EIGHT."
THE VARIETY OF DANCE IN AUSTIN
SEEMS TO BE ENDLESS.
BALLET -- TAP --
EVEN DANCING WITH GARBAGE TRUCKS
-- BECAUSE HEY,
WE'RE KEEPING IT WEIRD.
YOU CAN EVEN EXPLORE CULTURE
THROUGH
DANCE --
BALLET FOLKLORICO --
BHARATA NATYAM --
HIP HOP.
BUT AUSTIN WASN'T ALWAYS THIS
WAY.
"I REALLY HAD NO IDEA, AS A
LITTLE GIRL, THAT THERE WAS SUCH
A THING
AS A DANCE STUDIO."
CHINA
CHINA SMITH GREW UP IN EAST AUSTIN -- "THE ARTS IS SOMETHING THAT I
REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF
ACCESS TO IN MY COMMUNITY."
BUT HER HOME WAS FILLED WITH
MUSIC AND DANCE.
"MY FAMILY DANCED, SALSA AND
BACHATA AND MERENGE. THAT'S
THAT WAS WHAT WE DID. I WAS
EXPOSED TO A LOT OF MUSIC."
CHINA'S FIRST FORMAL EXPERIENCE
WAS HER
FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN SHE ENROLLED IN
HER FIRST DANCE CLASS.
"I COULDN'T WAIT TO BE A PART OF
SOMETHING THAT HAD MUSIC AND
DANCE AND ARTS INVOLVED. BUT
NOTHING LOOKED LIKE ME."
WHILE
WHILE THE
WHILE THE LOVE OF DANCE WAS ALWAYS IN HER -- IT DIDN'T ALWAYS SEEM LIKE DANCE WAS FOR
HER.
"AND I JUST DID NOT FEEL A
CONNECTION."
IT WASN'T UNTIL CHINA CAME HOME
FROM COLLEGE THAT
SHE STARTED EXPLORING DANCE
AGAIN.
FIRST -- DANCING WITH THE PUERTO
RICAN
FOLKLORIC DANCE COMPANY.
"I WAS REALLY DRAWN TO IT
BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF
AFRICAN INFLUENCE IN, IN THE
STYLE OF DANCE. AND SO
THAT MADE ME WANT TO EXPLORE
MORE STYLES."
THE EXPLORATION SPARKED A DESIRE
TO
CREATE.
TO CREATE. TO BRING BLACK FOLKLORE TO
AUSTIN THROUGH
DANCE.
AND IN 2008 -- BALLET AFRIQUE
WAS BORN.
IT HAD A ROCKY START.
CHINA HIT ROADBLOCKS BECAUSE SHE
WASN'T TRAINED
IN BALLET -- BUT SHE LEARNED.
"SO I DID IT OUT OF STUBBORNNESS
AND THEN ENDED UP REALLY FALLING
IN LOVE WITH IT.
"
THE NEXT CHALLENGE -- BUILDING
AN AFRICAN DANCE
COMPANY IN AUSTIN.
"FOR THE AUDITION, NOT ONE BLACK
DANCER SHOWED UP."
"AND SO I SAID, WE WILL START
WITH THE LITTLE BABIES."
"I WAS JUST A TODDLER SO I
DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WAS
GOING ON."
AVA DALLESANDRO STARTED DANCING
WITH
CHINA WHEN SHE WAS JUST TWO
YEARS OLD.
HER MOM SAW A POST ABOUT THE
DANCE COMPANY --
"SHE TOOK ME HERE FOR MY FIRST
CLASS AND I NEVER LEFT."
"THIS PLACE IS MY SECOND HOME."
"I LOVE IT HERE. THIS IS MY
HOME."
JESSICA ATWOOD WAS IN THE 4TH
GRADE WHEN SHE
STARTED DANCING WITH BALLET
AFRIQUE.
"I LIKE NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE
A DANCER."
BUT THAT'S THE THING ABOUT CHINA
--
"I BRING EVERYBODY RIGHT? YEAH!"
SHE SMASHES STIGMAS.
"WHEN YOU WALK INTO A BALLET
ROOM, IT CAN BE INTIMIDATING. IT
HAS A VERY LONG HISTORY OF IT
BEING DESIGNED TO BE THAT WAY.
IT
IS FOR THE ELITE."
HERE -- BALLET IS FOR EVERYONE.
"SOMETHING THAT THEY DO A LOT
HERE IS THAT YOU HAVE TO KNOW
HOW TO DANCE FROM YOUR SOUL."
JONAFA BANBURY DRIVES ALL THE
WAY FROM KYLE
-- SO HER SON CAN DANCE WITH
BALLET AFRIQUE.
"THERE WERE NO BLACK DANCE
COMPANIES WHERE HE WAS OR
ANYWHERE ELSE IN AUSTIN, THERE'S
NOT A LOT. SO THIS PLACE IS
UNIQUE
FOR HIM AND IT'S SOMEPLACE WHERE
HE CAN COME AND FEEL
ACCEPTED AND DANCE IN A WAY
THAT'S MORE FAMILIAR FOR HIM."
BY OPENING THE WORLD OF DANCE TO
MORE
MORE CHILDREN -- CHINA HAS GAINED NATIONAL ACCLAIM. IN 2012 -- SHE WAS FEATURED IN
OPRAH'S O MAGAZINE.
HER PERFORMANCES OF DUKE
ELLINGTON'S
ELLINGTON'S
NUTCRAKER
NUTCRAKER SELL OUT EACH YEAR. AND DESPITE BEING FORCED OUT OF ITS ORIGINAL
LOCATION IN HIGHLAND MALL TO
MAKE ROOM FOR A CHANGING
GROWING AUSTIN -- THE BALLET
AFRIQUE DANCE ACADEMY
IS FLOURISHING.
ALL BECAUSE OF A VISION --
TO GIVE BLACK AND BROWN CHILDREN
IN AUSTIN --
ACCESS.
"I JUST FEEL LIKE CHOICE IS
POWER."
"THE MORE CHOICES YOU HAVE, THE
MORE EMPOWERED YOU
ARE. AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE
THIS ONE OF THOSE CHOICES."