A group of sixth-graders at Christa McAuliffe Elementary school waltzed, salsa-ed and merengeued their way across the dance floor during a recent school day.

The class, “May I have this dance: Ballroom dancing for sixth-graders” was made possible by a grant from the Lake Washington Schools Foundation.

This is the second year that the class was offered, although last year it came out of Music Specialist Janet Warren’s budget. This year it wouldn’t have been possible without the extra funding from the Lake Washington Schools Foundation.

The students are receiving four one-hour sessions with instructor Andrea LaVare-Sandoval. In addition to learning the dance steps, the students have also been studying the cultures in which the dances originated.