I recently received an email from Piel Canela, a dance studio in New York, about a special program they have started. They are offering free dance classes for kids. How cool is that? For all the details, go to http://www.pielcaneladancers.com/ChildrensProgram.html.

This kind of generous offer is important on several levels. First, it gives kids, who might not be able to afford it otherwise, access to positive activities that build confidence. If a kid experiences success in learning to dance, it makes it more likely that he or she will begin to think, "I can learn anything I set my mind to." Second, even though dance appears to be thriving at the moment, we still need to be vigilant about structural flaws. One such potential flaw is the baby-sitter problem (also known as the Polka Conundrum). Many of the Salsa parties I attend are not conducive to bringing small children. So what are you supposed to do once Salsa (or some other style of dance) makes you fall in love, get married and have kids, who, you hope, will be as passionate about dance as you are? At least at Piel Canela, they have organized their schedule so that the kids classes and the adult classes happen at the same time, making dance a pursuit that families can share together. Finally, if the strategy of offering something for free brings in enough paying customers to help maintain the studio as a viable business, that is an insight that would be valuable to the dance community as a whole.

Now we just need to find a series of family-friendly Salsa parties.