By Chris Mac Kenzie
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — Who could have imagined that ballroom dancing taken as a seventh grade credit course for Physical Education would result in a chance to dance before 20,000 people and win a trophy in a junior version of the TV show, Dancing With the Stars?
     But that’s exactly what happened for Ryan Krantz and Dani Frank, of Alpine, who won the competition on Dec. 27 at the ICU Center in downtown San Diego. They were one of 10 couples chosen from throughout San Diego in an audition to compete.

Ryan Krantz and Dani Frank pose with their Dancing With the Stars trophy. The two beat out 9 other dance couples to win the top prize.

     Subsequent dance-offs cut the number down to four couples, then two and finally the real test, which the Alpine kids won, dancing the cha cha and swing. Wayne Newton was one of the celebrity judges for the event.
     Ryan and Dani are both in seventh grade at Joan Mac Queen Middle School but they’ve been dancing together since fifth grade at Boulder Oaks Elementary School when the local program started. It all began in 2005 when parents of a fifth grade class were asked by the teachers if there were any hobbies or interests they’d like to have introduced into the classroom.
     Ryan’s mother, Anne Krantz, a professional dance instructor herself, offered to conduct dance classes for her son’s class. At first the kids were a bit doubtful, but before the semester was over, enthusiasm ran high and a second class was started in January. A mini competition between the two classes culminated at the end of the school year with an event to which parents and friends were invited.
     “The kids are excited about it,” said one mother, reporting that the couples were calling each other the night before the presentation to make sure their costumes were coordinated.
     According to Anne Krantz, the various dancing shows now on television have spiked the kids interest in dancing.
     “They see the stars doing the same steps that they’re being taught in the weekly classes at school. They are learning the basic routines for Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Rhumba, Cha Cha and Swing.”
     Ryan was very excited about dancing and the chance to perform on Dancing With The Stars show when it was in San Diego.
     “We got to meet the regular performers on the show, and they were so nice to us,” he said. “And we danced in front of so many people, 20,000 I think. I loved it.”
     Dancing is not his only interest however. Ryan attends the special Science Academy classes at school for students especially interested in the sciences. He likes to swim, play tag football, and golf. He admits he gets “pretty good grades.”
     Dani is into cheer leading at school and is learning to play tennis. Her favorite subject is math but she also likes to write things for English class.
     She loves her dance costume, designed for the Cha Cha routine. “It’s red, with a lot of sparkly things on it,” she explained.
     Interest in dance classes as part of physical education has spread rapidly. Both Boulder Oaks and Joan Mac Queen now offer classes from second grade through eighth.
     Even more exciting in 2006, the success of the dance classes had spread to other schools around San Diego with 100 instructors involved. The program is called “Edu-dance, Classrooms in Motion.”
     This year teams from other schools competed in a citywide event with the result that the first place silver trophy is now on display in the trophy case at Joan Mac Queen. Most exciting was when the young dancers from all the schools took the floor while attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people dancing the Meringue at the same time.
     And they won!

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