Welcome to the Greater Richmond Dance Project

The Greater Richmond Dance Project (GRDP) aims to enrich the lives of the Greater Richmond community through the art of Ballroom Dance. I have been very fortunate to reach so many people on the dance floors at Rigby's Jig, but I've always wanted to do more. I am a Richmond native and love our amazing city, but there's only one thing missing--there's not enough dancing here! Dancing is such a rich and dynamic activity that provides numerous benefits to our health, our mind, and our spirit. Whenever people see a couple dancing the Cha Cha or the Waltz, they are affected by its power. I want more people to feel that power and experience those benefits. GRDP aims to provide access, exposure and opportunity to more people, many of whom may not have ever stepped foot on a dance floor.

GRDP has several initiatives we plan to execute initiatives that fulfill our mission including:

• Infusing the art of dance into Richmond's festivals and community activities
• Teaching classes specifically for people with disabilities
• Providing marriage enrichment courses for faith-based communities
• Developing programs specific to the needs of veterans
• Offering opportunities for school-aged children to experience ballroom dancing
• Enriching the lives of families by offering classes for multiple generations

Elementary & Middle School Dance Enrichment

Six years ago, GRDP piloted a program at Greenwood Elementary School in Henrico County to bring Ballroom, Swing and Latin dancing to the before and after school curriculum. Through the years, the program at Greenwood has grown to weekly Dance Club practices with a team of about 85 kids that meet before school begins at 7:20am. For thirty minutes, the children learn choreography and dance to music from all over the world that they perform each quarter at various school events including School Pep Rally's with 500 people in attendance. The teams have learned Samba, African, Salsa, Tango, Cha Cha, Capoeira and more. In 2022, we developed the first Advanced Dance Team that is audition based for our young dancers who are up for more challenging choreography and genres. The Advanced Team has wowed audiences with their abilities, and has doubled in size to showcase 15 young, talented dancers.

We have now expanded our programing into multiple elementary and middle schools in the area.

Senior Programs

GRDP specializes in bringing Ballroom, Swing and Latin dancing back into the lives of many wonderful seniors in our community. We are excited to partner with Westminster Canterbury for weekly dance classes with GRDP ambassadors who join the class to dance with WC residents. The classes focus on the basics of all of the most popular partner dances, many of which the seniors haven't done in years.

Veteran's Programs

GRDP has been honored to work with Veterans in classes specifically designed for Veterans. Classes revolve around learning steps and rhythms of various dances, as well as balance and coordination focus to support and compliment what our students are working to improve. Our GRDP ambassadors join classes to partner with our amazing Vets.