Le Mars teenager gives kids ‘A Chance to Dance’

LE MARS, Iowa (KCAU) — A Siouxland teenager is sharing her love for dance with those who may not be able to afford it.

18-year-old Emma DeRuyter is spearheading a charity organization that introduces kids to the world of dance.

“When you’re on the stage you just feel so much different, like you feel like almost a different person, like you can express yourself, and I feel a lot of people feel that when they get to perform,” DeRuyter said.

In 2023, she started “ A Chance to Dance ,” a charity program in Le Mars with the goal to provide class tuition, leotards, and shoes for new dance students with financial needs.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to take classes my whole life, and it has taught me so many life lessons besides just dancing, like time management, self-confidence, so many different things,” DeRuyter said. “I realized not everybody has that opportunity, so I wanted to help.”

“We always stressed the importance of serving our community and doing things for others that maybe don’t have the resources that we do,” said Becky DeRuyter, Emma’s mom and A Chance to Dance’s secretary and treasurer. “So that’s kind of rubbed off on her and she’s taken something she’s passionate about and shared it with others.”

In the organization’s first year, Emma was able to raise enough money to cover the class tuition for five new dancers. Now she’s hoping to see a few new faces in classes.

“We set a goal of $4,000 to raise and we met it because our community has been so gracious with donations,” Emma said. “This year we’re just hoping to get a few more kids in class.”

In the future, Emma hopes to expand A Chance to Dance to other studios in surrounding communities, so even more kids can have the opportunity to take the stage.

“We’ve heard from some of the parents on just how exciting it’s been for their kids and how grateful they are for the opportunity to be able to do this,” Becky said. “Some of them wouldn’t have had that chance otherwise, and they’re just so excited about it, and some say [their kids] struggle with some anxiety issues or self-confidence issues and they say they’ve really seen some growth with their students during this, which is really exciting to hear.”

Emma says she plans to stay actively involved in A Chance to Dance while she’s at Iowa State University this fall.

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