♪ (funk intro) ♪ (opening theme music) ♪ ♪ Lisa> Jump rope is real good for you because it keeps you in shape.

Especially when you're younger, puts a lot of confidence in yourself for when you get older.

Machelle> Well, if you want to get good in double dutch you have to do a lot of practicing, a lot of hard hours.

We cannot eat that much because then we will get too fat and we can't pick up our legs.

Michelle> It really started when we was in fourth grade because we was watching, you know, the bigger teams, right?

when we was just coming out as the whole school.

So we always were saying, yeah, we want to be like the big girls.

So we got our team together.

We started working on it in fourth grade.

In fifth grade we got up to the competition.

Well, we came in first and we went on from there, and from there... we just all got together and we started in the fourth grade and thinking of a name, and that's how we got together, "Sweet Connection."

(funky song begins) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (girls chatting) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The concentration is on the beat of the rope.

And really concentrating on the other turner, And the person in the rope to give the correct orders like "pick up your feet."

"Do this right.

Crisscross.

Pick them up higher."

Those are the right orders that you have to give to the person that's in the middle of the rope.

>> I turn for doubles and I jump for singles.

When you're doing doubles, there's two people in the rope, and you're not only concentrating yourself, but you're also thinking about what the other person is doing.

And when you're doing singles, you're mostly just thinking about what you're doing and what the turners are doing.

So when you're doing doubles, you have more responsibility of yourself and the other person, rather than when you're in singles and you're just thinking mostly about yourself and the turns.

♪ There's a lot of concentration, and when we mess up, we have to get back in the rope and begin where we left off, or just, you know, take it from the next.

(funky music continues) ♪ ♪ >> This competition is really like, really helps you with other things.

Like, when I'm in it, I'm mostly like saying, "well, at least I know I'm trying."

And when I do it with the other teams, I'm saying, "well, I'm not exactly trying to be the best out of everyone.

I'm just trying to show that I can do this."

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> What makes a winning combination is the cooperation of the team, and the good spirit of the team.

And really wanting to do something.

You know, really wanting to get out there and go for it.

You know, getting ready to go for the win.

♪ (music fades) ♪ Cecily> Lots of people have seen drums like this one.

They're made out of steel and have a capacity of about 55 gallons.

All kinds of things come inside them.

Anything from chemicals like paint thinner, soap and oil to food items.

One candy company even ships their chocolates inside them.

They're used for lots of other purposes too, like floating dock supports, and maybe some of you even have a barbecue grill in your backyard made out of one.

They even have a saying about these things that empty barrels make the loudest noises.

But Studio See found out that sometimes those noises can be pretty interesting.

(steel drums playing) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Steel drums originated on the island of Trinidad, and making them is a delicate art, though it may not look that way at first.

Mikey Enoch, an authority on steel drums, begins by depressing the top with a sledgehammer.

The notes are made by marking off small areas on the hammered surface.

Then the marked areas are outlined with a steel punch to make each note separate.

Next, the drum will be turned over, measured and cut to the proper length.

Shorter for high tones and full size for bass.

The cut drum is hammered from underneath and tempered over a wood fire.

At first, tuning is done by ear.

(steel drum notes) The most crucial stage is the final perfection of the pitch, which is precisely measured with an instrument called a Strobotuner.

This assures that the notes have proper pitch, tone, quality, and resonance.

It's a difficult instrument to master, since there may be as many as 34 individual notes on a single soprano drum.

(melodic steel drum tune) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (drumming fades) Jim> All right.

How are you all doing?

Class> Fine.

Jim> Good.

Good.

(indiscernible) Ready for the weekend?

Class> Yeah.

Jim> Good.

This is not only important to us but also the audience.

But let's, for the sake of maintaining our high standard, run through a few things that we must be always mindful of.

So could we just briefly, remind ourselves of some of the important things?

All right let's have a short rap session, some of the things that we have got to, be mindful of... Student> Behavior.

Jim> As I see it, the rap sessions... they're important not only from a musical or performance standpoint, but this pertains to life, the reality of life meeting the world, in this case, through a performing group.

(Sandra speaking) Jim> Of course, decorum works both ways for (indiscernible) Right.

Beautiful.

What could, what else could we add to that?

Student> Attitude.

Jim> That's a good one.

Why?

Lenora> Because you wouldn't want us following behind you, with a bad attitude, getting on stage acting like, we never... in place.

You want us to act like you know like we know what we doing and we do.

And we should have a nice attitude behind it.

Jim> Beautiful.

♪ Sabrina> After lots of practice, you automatically know where the notes are, and you don't really have to look at where you're hitting.

Just like when you play a piano, you know where to put your fingers.

It's there all the time.

♪ They are not garbage cans.

There are no hidden tape recorders or record players.

Those drums are the drums.

What you see is what you get.

The music is really coming out of the drums.

(steel drums playing) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (class chatting) Jim> Wait a minute.

I have an idea.

We have any birthdays to celebrate?

We really enjoy getting away sometime... and then sitting down to have an informal dinner.

When they're in a joyous, jubilant mood, they're more, their minds are more receptive during a rehearsal.

Once they're happy, they're always going to do their best.

(laughing) (indistinct chatting) (swishing sounds) They have had to learn that stage presentation means just as much as the actual performance.

By them looking good and the instruments looking good, that goes over, that, that carries you to an audience.

So those drums, are usually... being cleaned by this emery paper.

It's a little, slightly laborious, but they don't mind it.

Once they see that shine, they keep going.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (applause) (steel drum song begins) ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I think the thing that keeps everybody going is when you go out and play for an audience, and they just really go wild over you, and you just can't get away from that.

You know, it gives you a sense of pride.

♪ ♪ (drumming song ends) (applause and cheering) ♪ (city soundscape) (upbeat classical music begins) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (classical music ends) (applause) Sheldon> We are very lucky to have this dance program, as a result of the, efforts of a group called Young Audiences.

Whose main purpose it is, is to bring the arts into the school.

On Fridays, instead of having math, they took two of my seventh grade math classes, and they had dance on Fridays instead of math.

Diana> Our company has been rehearsing, in another studio downtown, and we just have recently moved into this new situation.

Where we are doing our rehearsing here at the school.

Kids in the halls are seeing professional dancers for the first time in their lives, and they're seeing what they look like off stage, which is just like regular people.

Lynne> Or can be independent of the dance.

Or you can have music... Diana> Lynne Taylor is the artistic director of Theater Dance Collection.

There are so many ways you can make a dance.

And it's individual.

Lynne> That's right.

Diana> It's really individual.

Lynne> It's a creation.

Every time it's different.

Lawrence> Who choreographed... ...the dance?

How'd you get the music?

Lynne> Well, I choreographed it.

I made up the steps and I... the music is Antonio Vivaldi.

And, I sometimes you get an idea for a dance and then you go look for the music.

But this time I heard the music, and I decided I wanted to make up a dance.

Carlton> Does this dance tell story or anything?

Diana> No, this one doesn't, this one doesn't.

This one basically gives you a feeling.

If you... You feel something when you see it.

Student> Like excitement?

Diana> Right.

Right, or joy or whatever.

But there's no real storyline, there's no characters or a plot.

Okay, we're running a little late, so I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye to the company and get on with our class.

Okay?

Now come on, let's go.

Students> Aww.

Bye bye.

(group chatting) Diana> Okay, could all of you get in your rows?

Right.

Good.

Parallel feet.

Okay.

Relax your shoulders.

Arms at your side.

Okay.

And let's lift up the arms.

And we're going to make a big stretch over to the side... and stretch.

And a one, and a two.

And a one, two, three.

Sheldon> When the students entered this class, I don't think they really had a clear picture of what it was all about.

That it was going to be run like a real dance class.

It was strenuous exercises and, you know, strenuous dance combination and was almost like taking gym all over again.

(instructor speaking) Lawrence> Well I chose dance because out of all the other things that they offered in the school, dance sounded the best.

And not none of my friends, the boys were in it, so I thought I'd be, you know, I'm the only one in dance.

And I thought it would be good, so I took it.

Diana> One.

Two.

Head back, four.

What has been so unique and... exciting about this program really, is the integration that's been happening between the artistic world, which I'm coming from, and the educational world that Sheldon comes from.

Sheldon is a math teacher.

Sheldon> A lot of the kids are dancing for the first time, especially the boys.

And they see that, oh, if you know Mr. Letterman, can look silly, gee I can look silly too.

Carlton> Last year I had Mr. Letterman for math.

I don't know... when I had him for math, I mean, you don't like your math teacher, you know.

But I saw a different point of view when I, you know, he's in a dance class.

I, you know, he was a nicer guy in dance because he wasn't, you know, he wasn't really strictly putting on, like, a test or anything, you know.

Diana> I want you to be relaxed.

Just let the head hang.

It's almost as if you've got a string on the top of your head and you're a puppet, and everything is just hanging right down.

And nothing's sticking out or sticking up... Carlton> Being a professional dancer is like pretty rough.

I see it from Diana... And your whole life is kind of changed by it.

Diana> Okay Kathy, and you've got to keep this leg turning out okay.

Don't force it.

But just turn it out.

The one constant thing in a dancer's life... always, forever, as long as they want to perform is class.

And class isn't just warming up.

It... Class in a dancer's life means working very hard for an hour, hour and a half, two hours each day to try to get better.

And this is so constant in a dancer's life.

You never stop class, no matter how accomplished a performer you are.

And as a dancer, you feel always like you're a student.

So, for instance, I may come here in the morning and teach the kids here, but in the afternoon I'm getting my own class in and working to be better in my own way.

(instructor speaking) We each teach class, also the company class.

So what you end up with is many different styles and approaches to dance within the company.

It's very democratic.

It's a very democratic company.

Instructor> Two, three and four with me five, six last time seven and eight.

Sheldon> When Diana is in the classroom, she teaches only movement.

When she is not there, I have the class by myself, and we kind of agree that I should not be doing any movement.

I'm really not qualified to teach movement.

So we've developed some units, some topics that I have done with them.

Sort of a background of jazz dancing.

It's primarily a jazz dancing class.

Student> It's like where all the dances originate is right here in this room.

Carlton> It's the only place they can make a mistake you know, before they go on stage or anything.

Sheldon> What about the space itself?

So is there, are there lots of things... Is it very cluttered up?

Is it, or is it very simple?

And what are some of the very basic things you need in a dance studio, John?

John> The mirror, because, you can see yourself and see the mistakes you're making and improve them.

Sheldon> Carlton?

Carlton> Wood floors.

<Good> Sheldon> What's so important about a wood floor?

What's the... Why must it be a wooden floor, than another kind of floor, Scott?

Scott> Well, because, like in a wooden floor, you've got the extra support.

And when you making a leap, or when you when you, when you fall or something like that, the floor is always a little bit softer.

So when you land that you're not going to break your toes or the ball of your foot, or your heel or anything?

Carlton> Well, Diana told all of us we're going to be having a concert, and this is what we have to do.

Diana> Three, and four and five... six.

Good.

Okay, use your shoulders more Lucy.

Carlton> She formed groups and certain kids did certain movements.

And they were rough.

We went over and over and over it again.

At the very end, we combined them all, to form the concert.

♪ Diana> Good.

And one, two, three.

One of the things about dance that makes it so unique is that... it really is so intangible.

You perform and then it's over, or you do the movement and it's over.

It's not like a sculpture or a painter who has his painting.

It's only in your memory.

And this is a whole different way of learning.

And one, two, good... ♪ ...we can shine ♪ ♪ I want to give you ♪ ♪ this love that I'm feeling ♪ Diana> The thing about performance is that it is incredibly threatening and scary and...

I think this is something that professional dancers work with, probably all their lives.

For these kids, many of them, it's the first time they've ever experienced that feeling ♪ ♪ I want this feeling ♪ ♪ to last forever ♪ ♪ sure want this feeling ♪ ♪ to last forever ♪ ♪ I want this feeling ♪ ♪ to last forever ♪ ♪ and ever... ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ feeling so good ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ feeling so good ♪ ♪ when I think about you babe ♪ Equestrian> Studio See wants poems and ideas from everybody that watches the show.

If you have any, just put them in an envelope and send them to...

Studio See, SCETV, Columbia, South Carolina 2-9-2-5-0.

And remember, get'em there fast.

Get'em there any way you can.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (children laughing) Announcer> Major funding for this program is provided by this television station and other public television stations.

Additional funding was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.