By Jenna Lebovits
For 25 years, the Colorado-based nonprofit Celebrate the Beat has offered more than just dance instruction to students. It’s provided a powerful framework for social, emotional and physical well-being, one step at a time.
Founded by Tracy Straus, CTB was born from the dancer-actress’s own story of transformation through movement. Growing up with scoliosis, dance became Straus’ sanctuary—her one-hour window of daily freedom without a back brace. “It became my safe haven,” she says, “my most important place of actually finding mental, physical and spiritual wellness.”
Years later, after training with ballet dancer and choreographer Jacques d’Amboise and serving as associate artistic director at New York City’s National Dance Institute, Straus brought her experience westward, launching Celebrate the Beat as an outreach program for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Since then the organization, which offers both in- and after-school programming led by professional teaching artists, has expanded from serving 150 children a year to over 2,500, reaching over 8,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic when CTB shifted gears, creating over 200 virtual resources for families—including dance and movement videos—all with an emphasis on holistic wellness. Today, CTB partners with schools across several Colorado counties and in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, to deliver customizable in-school programs, culminating in one final performance.
Beyond choreography, what sets CTB apart is the way it uses movement and creativity to teach essential life skills in a safe space: Positivity, kindness and respect are at the heart of its programming. A structured, upbeat goodbye ritual, often with musical call-and-response lines like “B-O-D-Y! Healthy, strong and super fly,” instills these values and healthy habits in a playful, deeply felt way. “Every child is seen,” says artistic executive director Kris Walsh. “We move the room around to face different directions, so no child is ever hidden in the back. Everyone participates, and has an opportunity to feel successful in every class.”
A strong foundation of trust opens the door to deeper conversations, particularly with middle schoolers navigating the awkward terrain of fluctuating hormones, bodies and oftentimes, self-image. “Sometimes, they’ll quietly tell me they don’t feel good and don’t think they can do anything,” Walsh says. “I’ll then remind them that maybe they should participate today more than ever, that exercising can help us feel better.”
In an age of rising anxiety and isolation among youth—what experts call a loneliness epidemic—Celebrate the Beat offers a potent antidote: movement as medicine, community as support, and creativity as a path to personal growth. ctbeat.org