PROJECT OVERVIEW
Brazil offers a rewarding opportunity to pass on your skills to children who really appreciate it, and would probably not get the opportunity to learn without your presence. Absorb this awesome culture by becoming a part of its community and really contributing....Tempted by a great social life, sunshine and the great Brasilian energy, it's no surprise that most volunteers here choose to extend their stay!

The centre is poor, but the children are rich in spirit! With a little time, energy and patience your placement will be thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable for both you and the children you’ll be working with. You'll no doubt learn a thing or two as well, from your students and fellow teachers. You'll also help give the children hope and renewed confidence. The sense of importance that children feel from the fact that you're from another country and have chosen to spend your time helping them can be overwhelming - your very presence is encouraging and motivating.

In Santa Tereza, as in many areas of the city, children are exposed to the dangers of poverty and can be easily led into a life of crime and drugs. Dance programmes like this one are essential in terms of providing a positive outlet for energy and a distraction from such a lifestyle. They focus on encouraging children to see the 'good side' of the world - by taking them away from the violence and poverty that they live in and encouraging them to see things in a different way. Along with the people who run and staff the centre, you'll be acting as a positive role model to children to help keep them away from the dangers of the streets.

TEACHING DANCE AT BALLET SANTA TEREZA, RIO DE JANEIRO
The ballet school you'll work at during your project was founded by a Brazilian ballet teacher some years ago. She had spent most of her life teaching ballet to Rio's upper classes, and was making a comfortable living from her work. One day, while passing through a favela (shanty town), she met a little girl who asked if she could learn to dance too. The encounter with this little girl made her change the way she looked at her life, and she resolved to set up the centre to provide dance lessons to children who came from very poor, underprivileged backgrounds. It sounds like a bit of a fairy tale, but it's 100% true - this is the lady you'll be working with on your project. Her enthusiasm for life and for dance is infectious, and it's the perfect project for you if you have a passion for dance and want to share it with children.

The school is located in the absolutely gorgeous 'Santa Tereza' area of Rio. Santa Tereza has long been famous as home to Rio's intellectual and bohemian classes, and as a result it's filled with cafes, small art galleries nestled in alleyways and shops selling hand made local arts and crafts. The area has a certain magic to it that's hard to explain, but easy to fall in love with... Old men rest outside cafes listening to the sensual melodies of jazz floating out from nearby bars, children run through the tree lined streets on their way home from school. The sun hits the cobbled streets and the whole pace of life seems to slow... The district is located up a winding hill, and traditional transport from the commercial areas is in the form of the famous bonde, or tram. The bonde still runs everyday, transporting locals and tourists alike up to this charming little village-within-a-city.

As well as dance, the kids take part in arts and crafts activities, and (where possible when volunteers are present) English lessons. If you don't want to take English lessons as well as dance, that's fine, just let us know. Otherwise, the centre will almost certainly ask you to get involved in English and other activities, as well as your dance classes. Most of the team at the centre are local community volunteers who are willing to give their help freely. They say that the satisfaction they get from seeing the smiling faces of the children is worth more than any amount of money in the world!

The centre is open from 9am to 6pm and you'll usually work for around 4 to 5 hours a day. There are approximately 140 children at the children aged between 3-18 years, with around 25 per class - smaller numbers for dance classes.

"Rio is such a vibrant and beautiful city, the people are so welcoming, therefore I wasn't nervous for long. Everyone at Ballet De Santa Tereza made me feel at home and it was a brilliant experience. I really couldn't of asked for a better bunch of kids! The children at Santa Tereza are so much fun and very talented, I became very close to them all and I miss them very much! A lot of the families there don't have much when it comes to material things but their culture and lively personalities make up for that! Ballet De Santa Tereza is a great organisation, the children enjoy every day there! I suppose it is like an escape for them!

My Portuguese was quite poor and so was the kid's English therefore at times it was difficult to communicate, however by the second week we were all finding it much easier. I also found it difficult to know what grade of Ballet to teach each class as the ages in each class varied so much!

The way in which the Ballet classes were run/taught was a lot different to my Ballet classes in Scotland because here in the UK Ballet is all about discipline and in Rio it was all about having fun, which at the end of the day is more important! I loved my students but at times the classes were out of control and because of the language barrier it was hard to get everyone settled down again!

I have never met such happy people in all my life, Cariocas love to sing and dance and this for me was a great thing to experience. Being by myself was at times difficult, but I really wouldn't change my experience for the world! The people at my hotel, Fabio, Kayla and everyone at Ballet De Santa Tereza were all like my own little family! I would definitely recommend a trip out to Rio and volunteering somewhere like Ballet De Santa Tereza, it really was the best time of my life!

Thank you to everyone who made my trip such an enjoyable and successful one!" Stephanie White

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AND ... CARNAVAL!
The main school holidays are from approximately

• 15^th July until the 10^th August and

• 10^th December until the end of the last week in February.

If you are unsure about how seasonal breaks may affect your placement, please ask us!

"Carnaval - The planet's most spectacular annual cultural pageant, where the ancient world's spirit of chaotic collective delirium and abandonment of self to the impulses of the body and a greater collective spirit is unrivaled."

Additional Activities you can do while on this Project:
Add to your travel experience in Brazil by doing some additional exciting activities - you never know, you could develop a passion for Latin American dance, or learn a new skill!

• Capoeira: A cross between a dance, a fight skill and an art form ... fascinating and fun!

• Brazilian Music courses: Choose from a variety of local percussion/styles

• Portuguese Language Courses: Immerse yourself in the language and you'll be amazed at the effects it brings!

• Yoga Courses

• Photography courses

• Latin Dance Lessons

• Watersports, Treks and Adventure Activities