NEW YORK -- It¡¯s the fourth day of HOPE Week, and members of the Yankees showed off their impressive dance moves at the Dancing Dreams studio in Bayside, Queens, on Thursday.
Manager Aaron Boone, outfielder Harrison Bader, starter Domingo Germ¨¢n and relievers Albert Abreu and Wandy Peralta performed a little bit of everything -- ballet, parachute dancing, The Twist, The Limbo Rock or just simply jumping up and down -- with boys and girls ages 3 to 21 with medical or physical challenges.
¡°My favorite moment was just breaking the ice by dancing with the kids and getting the music going,¡± Bader said. ¡°I got a little rhythm going. I thank my parents for that. We were getting everybody ready, waking everybody up and just moving around in the morning. We kept the energy rolling.¡±
The Yankees were at the studio to honor the dance company, a nonprofit that provides dance classes and performance opportunities for young children and adults with medical or physical challenges. The organization¡¯s goal is to allow its dancers to experience the joy of dance regardless of their abilities. Classes are adapted so each child can participate to the best of his or her own unique skill set. The program focuses on abilities, not disabilities.
In honor of HOPE Week, the Yankees donated $10,000 to the dance company and invited about 20 children and adults to Thursday night's game against the Orioles, while allowing the head of the studio, Joann Ferrara, to throw out the first pitch.
¡°When I saw that check, I thought what the Yankees had done was incredible,¡± Ferrara said. ¡°Far above and beyond, that check is going to be such a difference to an organization like ours, which is totally funded by donations and grants. We don¡¯t charge for anything. [The donation] has a huge impact for our organization.¡±
Ferrara deserves the recognition she gets. A pediatric physical therapist by trade, Ferrara¡¯s dreams of starting a dance studio for handicapped people started in 2002 when a little girl with cerebral palsy -- decked out in a tutu and tiara -- uttered 11 heartbreaking words: ¡°I wish I could be a dancer, but nobody wants me.¡±
Upset by the little girl¡¯s comment, Ferrara walked into the waiting room and informed the little girl¡¯s mother that she was starting a dance program. Suddenly, Dancing Dreams was born.
For every class and performance, each dancer is assigned a high school ¡°helper¡± who volunteers his or her time each week. The nonprofit currently has over 200 volunteers who take part in the Dancing Dreams Leadership Program.
Having begun with an inaugural five-child class in 2002, Dancing Dreams now teaches over 130 boys and girls each year in three locations: Bayside (Queens), Upper East Side (Manhattan) and Plainview (Long Island). The current class speaks over 25 languages, and 92 percent of the children are on scholarship for the program. The teaching year concludes with an annual performance which serves as an onstage celebration of the children¡¯s achievements.
All the kids and young adults were happy to see members of the Yankees in person, but 11-year-old Sebastion Ortiz, who is of Dominican descent and dealing with cerebral palsy, expressed his love for fellow Dominicans Abreu, Germ¨¢n and Peralta. Ortiz learned about the Yankees through his parents.
¡°When I saw them, I said, 'Oh, my God, you guys are my favorite players,'¡± Ortiz said.
Germ¨¢n, who became the fourth pitcher in Yankees history to throw a perfect game on June 28, was moved that Ortiz looked up to him.
¡°It¡¯s amazing to hear -- a kid like that so young,¡± Germ¨¢n said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. ¡°He has an idea of what we do and of what we mean to him. It¡¯s incredible. It¡¯s a great feeling to hear it. The connection with a young kid means a lot.¡±
Like most managers, Boone wants to win a World Series. But visiting kids like he did on Thursday is among his favorite things to do.
¡°Every stop [of HOPE Week] is so impactful. ¡ It¡¯s so rewarding for us,¡± Boone said. ¡°That¡¯s what always stands out in the middle of a long season. To get to do this, I¡¯m just grateful for the opportunity. I¡¯m grateful for all these kids and Joann today. Just a lot of fun.¡±