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Spice up Saturday with this dance show

By MARLENE SOKOL
Published September 22, 2006

TAMPA PALMS - Held back in tennis by an injury to the wrist, Stutti Smit was looking to fill a void in her young life.

She found the answer in classical Indian dance, taught in Tampa Palms at the Navarasa Dance Academy.

Director Anandi Srinivas, an accomplished performer back in Ahmedabad, appreciated the discipline Smit possessed from a lifetime of sport.

Student by student, Srinivas is sharing her art with other Indian and non-Indian dancers as well.

If you are not familiar with the Bharatnatyam form of dance, you can see it Saturday at Freedom High School.

"We are in such a melting pot here," said Smit, who makes her living in the information technology department at Raymond James in St. Petersburg.

"This is a very disciplined, structured dance form, and we want to spread it out to other cultures."

Talas & Rasas, as the show is called, promises to combine Bharatnatyam with contemporary jazz and fusion.

Madhuri Vaidya of Tampa Palms, with two daughters in the performance, also looks forward to showcasing Indian dance to a mainstream audience.

"This performance is a good first step," she said.

Tickets, $4 for children and $7 for adults, are available at the door for the 6:30 p.m. show, or by calling (813) 494-5058 or (813) 389-2121.

* * *

At Cannella Elementary School in Carrollwood, they're hoping for another kind of cultural exchange.

Kim Warren, a third grade teacher known for her sharp wit and culinary magic, has been nominated to take part in the U.S. China Joint Education Conference in November.

Warren, who holds a master's degree in education leadership from the University of South Florida and will go on toward her doctorate, is not sure how People to People International heard of her. A professor nominated her, she presumes.

Since then, she has been trying to meet expenses for the $5,000 trip and hoping a corporate sponsor might help her out.

What do they think of Warren at Cannella?

"She's maternal yet firm and consistent," said principal Cheryl Dafeldecker, a big fan. "She's very effective in the classroom. And she brings life experiences with her that she shares with the children."

That's partly because Warren didn't enter teaching right away. She stayed home to raise two daughters, then started substitute teaching at Cannella because, she said, "I was always there anyway." She went back to college at 41 and never looked back. She hopes to enter administration, then ultimately teach at the university level. Today, she said, "I'm trying to make fourth-grade writers out of third-graders."

On the side she gives cooking lessons aimed at helping families stay on a budget. And she is co-writing a comic book with teacher Alyce Kushner, a behind-the-scenes look at the wacky world of public schools.

Warren looks forward to sharing teaching theories in China with professionals from around the globe. "What she learns over there, she will bring back here and share with the children in her class," Dafeldecker said.

Anyone who might be able to help find a sponsor can contact the school at (813) 975-6941.

* * *

Finally, the county's school for troubled children in Lake Magdalene will get two things Thursday that it could really use: public recognition and a fresh coat of paint.

The nonprofit Hands On Tampa and the for-profit Home Depot chain are joining forces to paint and landscape the center, which serves kids with behavior problems and backgrounds of abuse and neglect.

Ten classroom buildings that program manager Bill Hogan described as a "faded parrot" color were to be pressure-washed this week in preparation for next week's event. They should re-emerge a cheerful shade of yellow.

The county has planned a day of activities, including speeches from dignitaries and inflatable games so the children will have something to do besides "making sure the wet paint is really wet."

Okay, so all of this makes Home Depot look good. But does it matter to the kids?

"I think any time we get a group of folks to come out on campus and honor them, and stick some fresh paint on something or repair something, it does help," Hogan said. "They so often feel different, left out, isolated, and this way they get a chance to see hard work and adult male and female role models."

They've got about as many hands as they need for this Thursday's event. But if you want to help the center in some other way, you can reach Hogan at (813) 272-6606.

[Last modified September 21, 2006, 07:27:00]