Nova Bajamonti
The Queens County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Committee hosted its fifth annual Friendsgiving, and all the proceeds went towards the Dancing Dreams organization. Dancing Dreams provides free-of-charge dance classes to children of all ages, who have medical and physical challenges, and are interested in the world of dance, but have not had the opportunity to do so previously.
The life-changing organization was inspired by dancer Veronica Siaba, whose mother tirelessly searched for a place for her to take ballet classes like her cousin did, but she was met with constant rejection. Siaba, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, was devastated by consistently being “turned away everywhere.”
Siaba was a patron at Joann Ferrara’s pediatric physical therapy office, and Ferrara once got her festively dressed up in a tiara and a tutu, and the special bonding moment was one to remember for both. “[Ferrara] for the first time said that I actually look like a ballerina,” Siaba said. After Siaba shared her frustration about not being able to find a ballet class, Ferrara took matters into her own hands and created Dancing Dreams.
Dancing Dream’s Founder and Executive Director, Ferrara, recalled that when Siaba told her “nobody wants me,” Ferrara thought, “no four-year-old should ever be saying, ‘no one wants me.’ The word quickly got out about the representative company, and within weeks, classes increased from having five students to having more than 15, which led to the organization moving to a larger space and becoming a non-profit. Now the organization proudly has 125 young dancers within three locations. Additionally, it also has 150 high school students who participate in a leadership program and volunteer weekly.
The organization has been life-changing for Siaba and the other students. “Yeah I’m in crutches. I’m in a wheelchair. Yeah, I use a cane, and I can be a dancer,” Siaba said. “Those things aren’t mutually exclusive anymore. That makes me really happy to see – not only how much we’ve grown, but how much society has changed. [Dancing Dreams is] changing the narrative around disability, just entirely.”
Leah Zelaya, who has been in the company for over 12 years, first joined being “really shy and ashamed of who [she] was.” After seeing all the representation and positivity around her at Dancing Dreams, she “changed her output on life, and [it] encouraged her to continue and to succeed.” “Joann has created a company for kids to have hope, and to just enjoy and push and live their lives to the fullest,” Zelaya said. The company also helped her “build lifelong friends.” “Our bonds are undefeatable and unmatchable from anybody else’s, cause there’s that understanding, and I love that about this organization,” Zelaya said. The activist has gone on to be named the 2023 National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Bevi Zelaya, who is Leah’s proud mom saw a drastic transformation in her daughter as well. “I saw a young lady grow into a wonderful flower, and for me [as a parent], it was so empowering, and I finally got the tools to continue to push her,” Zelaya said. Not only did Leah find “lifelong friends,” but so did her mother, alongside fellow parents. “We become best friends,” Zelaya said. “Our kids came together. We become a family. We go to each other’s birthday parties. We love each other. We cheer for our kids. We encourage each other, and we’re able to help each other, and pick each other up as parents.”
The empowering fundraiser was organized by Queens County Bar Association’s Junior Board Co-Chair, Sydney A. Spinner, who was “one of the first helpers” at Dancing Dreams. She went on to become a lawyer and when she heard from Ferrara that Dancing Dreams had a flood, she was emotionally moved to create a fundraiser, which successfully brought in $6,500, and Spinner continued the fundraiser annually for the organization. The company left a lasting impact on her, especially being a dancer herself. “I think everyone should be able to dance if they want to,” Spinner said. “These girls are so inspirational, and I definitely get more from them than I’ve given them, but I do my best to give them as much as I can. Joann does everything for free. The kids don’t pay anything. She provides the shoes [and] the costumes, and everyone should be able to dance if that’s their thing. ‘Dance for every child,’ and it really is true, and being a small part of that is so important.”
Queens County Bar Association’s President Zenith T. Taylor explained that the lawyers who are participating are helping create a huge positive change. “Giving back is the most important thing – its service,” Taylor said. “Whether you want to say ‘its moral’ – its the right thing to do and to give back to our communities, especially Queens, where there’s so many marginalized and new immigrants – its important. It gives you a feeling of self-worth, having done something for your community.”
