Ballet Barres Support Hillside Dancers

Hillside dance students supported by new portable ballet barres funded by an MFEE grant.

Dance is a popular elective at Hillside Elementary School, so students enrolled in Trisha Kelly’s ballet and modern classes need proper support for their practice. 

And they’ve got just that, thanks to new portable ballet barres funded by the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence. 

MFEE, Montclair's independent, nonprofit education fund, awarded Kelly a grant for the barres this fall. The new equipment allows dance students to have physical support, as well as space to fully extend their legs and arms without bumping into their classmates. Barre work can improve flexibility and posture, increase strength and balance, and grow endurance and mind-body awareness.  

“Students have fun and feel confident when they have mastered movements at the barre,” Kelly wrote in her grant application.  

Montclair High School seniors Kieran Wells and Isabella Cañizares-Bidwa, longtime volunteers who are interning with MFEE as part of the MHS Career Internship Program, recently visited a Hillside dance class to snap some photos and see the grants in action. The high schoolers asked the younger kids what they enjoy most about dance. 

“You get to use your emotion, and your body, and it makes you happy,” one said. 

“Dance helps to get your feelings out,” another said. “When you dance with emotion, it feels really full.” 

Other students told Isabella that dance helped them to be “creative” and “help people connect.” 

That’s exactly what MFEE aims to do through our grant program, which awards $60,000 to educators across our district each year, funding classroom tools and experiences to boost academics and social-emotional wellness. 

“Through our grants, MFEE works to support students and teachers holistically. These ballet barres represent that mission in both form and function,” said Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, executive director of MFEE. “We hope to help Montclair students express themselves creatively for years to come.” 

Want to support more work like this? Consider hosting or attending a Teacher Toast this spring. These parties – a longstanding Montclair tradition – raise critical funds for educator grants. In fact, Hillside families are celebrating Ms. Kelly with a “You Can Dance If You Want To!” party on June 19. One Toast attendee said of Ms. Kelly: “Thank you for helping the dancers find their light on stage and in themselves!” 

So grab tickets to a Toast or donate to MFEE – either way you’ll be en pointe.