| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay | March 2009 
The Arts for Self-Esteem
 Laura Gelezunas - PVNN
Kids really dig music and for many Mexican school children this is not a subject they can explore at most schools. However, one local non-profit is sharing the notes.
The kids bounce to the drumbeats in Punta de Mita. The group, Celebrate The Beat out of Colorado, helped the children realize their artistic potential during a workshop in February 2009. This session is the first of its kind in the Bay of Banderas, hosted by PEACE and Celebrate The Beat. Young people relish the chance to dance, show off and get into an artistic program.
"We use live music and dance to bring children together, to change how they see themselves and to use the arts as a beautiful way to express themselves in excellence. This is the main goal of our program," says Tracy Straus, Artistic Director of Celebrate The Beat. "The arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them. CTB follows this philosophy by teaching success oriented, high energy, fun, physically and mentally demanding classes that instill confidence, pride, work ethic, and a mentality of never giving up."
Due to economics, most local children are not exposed to music, dance and art. This special workshop lets them tap their toes and work together to put on a show. This is a first performance for many and they jive. It shows them that working together,s they can achieve their goals.
Organizers receive many returns. "I feel like the luckiest person in the world, I get to work with children who I see transform on a daily basis," says Tracy. "I get to work with incredible artists, musicians, dancers, administrators and educators who are really working to make the world a better place, even though this may sound trite but it's what I'm about and I'm blessed to do."
The local non-profit association, PEACE, worked with Celebrate The Beat to enrich the lives of children and allowed them to experience something they may never have had a chance to do. For more information please visit the following websites, PeaceMexico.org and CTBeat.org.
 A Banderas Bay non-profit organization, PEACE acts as an umbrella organization for four charitable programs, Casa Comunidad, Ayuda Los Animales (Help The Animals), a Women's Co-Op (Manos de Mujeres Unidas) and Community Pride. It is a U.S. non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which accepts tax-deductible donations and a Mexican Civil Association that issues facturas for donations. For more information, please visit PeaceMexico.org or click HERE to read more about PEACE
 After having spent 10 years in the world of US broadcast news, Laura Gelezunas decided to unleash her skills on Puerto Vallarta by opening Video Diva Productions, a full-service, professional digital video company. Whether you're interested in a sales video, WEBmercial, music video, feature story, documentary, or corporate event video coverage, she has the experience, equipment and talent to coordinate a professional production. For more information, visit her website at VideoDivaProductions.com. |
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