Watts is one of the poorestcommunities in Los Angeles. It has the highest percentage of families headed by a single parent, and one of the largest concentrations of gangs in Los Angeles County.
Kimberly McKinney is a probation officer at Nickerson Gardens and Imperial Courts in Watts, which are the biggest housing projects west of the Mississippi. She’s been taking groups of probation youth on Create Now’s Cultural Journey’s program, so they can experience concerts and plays.
When Kim brought some of these teenagers to see the Los Angeles Ballet, three of the girls fell in love with ballet and began taking dance classes.
Kim remarked, “Two of these teenage girls taught ballet to six little girls at our housing projects, who now all want to be ballerinas based on what the older girls do. If it hadn’t been for Create Now giving them the opportunity to see ballet, they would never have been exposed to that dance. Create Now is amazing. We really appreciate the kindness they show to underserved kids and those on probation.
Those teenage girls are busy now, so our volunteer Bianca Akula gave the children a ballet class, which they loved. Create Now will be providing the kids with more dance classes in the next couple of months so they can perform at our Talent Show this Spring. Stay tuned for more details about this upcoming event.