BROWNSVILLE – A dance competition for Brownsville students kicked off with elementary students hitting the dance floor first.

Dr. Rebecca Rendon with the Brownsville ISD Fine Arts Department put together the dance competition 10 years ago. First, it was at the elementary schools and then went on to middle and high schools.

“You see how the parents get so excited and I love how they support the kids. The kids are having a great time,” Rendon said. “They bring signs, the numbers, very supportive. It just makes the kids dance even better.”

There are so many Brownsville schools involved that the competition is now a three-day event.

“I still get chills when I watch them dance and see what we’ve created here. That’s so amazing,” Rendon said.

The competitors work all year long practicing their dance moves for the event.

“I’m just ready to give it everything I’ve got and I’m going to do my best,” one student said.

The program works in conjunction with the Fred Astaire curriculum and they also help in the judging.

“We come here and we see them. We go home inspired. This is what fills the heart,” Stephanie Schlueter, owner of Fred Astaire Texas, said. “They work really hard. The level has risen so much. Some of them are even training to become professionals for our company.”

“It brings tears to my eyes when I see them and think that we brought this to them,” Rendon said.

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