GREEN -- Critiquing her performance in the mirror, 11-year-old Elizabeth Denny of Sutherlin slides her feet across the wooden floor. Arms pulled back, she lurches into the air, spins and lands on her feet.

"I love to dance," she said after her performance. "Dance is my life."

Denny is one of about 60 students enrolled at the Celebration Street Christian School of Performing Arts in Green. In its fifth year of existence, the studio teaches people of all ages about dance and drama. It also encourages students to spread the word of Jesus Christ through their creativity.

"We aren't just a dance school," said director and founder Laura Ruiz. "We train our students to spread the gospel through their art."

Originally consisting of a drama team that performed to music, Ruiz said the organization mushroomed over the past few years. It claimed its own space in Green, became a nonprofit organization and expanded its classes to include ballet, jazz and other dance forms.

Led by three women -- Ruiz, administrator Colleen Denny and administrative assistant Sasha Martinez -- the trio works together to keep the organization running. The classes, though, are taught by Ruiz, who has performed professionally in Walt Disney World in Florida and on the East and West coasts.

Open to anyone, regardless of age, talent or ability to pay, Colleen Denny said her own children, Elizabeth and Rachel, have found an avenue where they can pursue their love of performing.

"My daughters have such a dream of dancing, and we couldn't afford to go someplace else," Colleen Denny said. "We've created an arena for kids who've never had this, and we offer a number of scholarships."

What makes Celebration Street unique, said Martinez, is its family atmosphere. Acting as mentors, Martinez said she and her colleagues commonly hear about their students' hopes, fears and heartaches.

"We provide a safe haven for kids and adults," she said. "We won't tell anyone they can't dance. This is a safe place for them to come in off the streets."

It's also a place where people come to sit and socialize, even when class isn't in session.

"A great majority of the time we see troubled kids, and sometimes we see people who've gotten saved," Ruiz said. "It's by the grace and power of God that these kids change."

Kara Gross, 13, of Roseburg, said the teachings she's received have helped enhance her dance skills. They've also given her confidence in her abilities.

"I've learned a lot from dance," she said. "I've learned that dancing takes a lot of willpower and self-control. It requires a good attitude and it teaches commitment. It's helped make me into the kind of person I want to be."

In the future, Ruiz, Denny and Martinez said they hope to establish a dancing tour company, and they'd like to have their own amphitheater. In the meantime, though, they said they will continue performing their drama and dance routines in malls, churches and at various festivals.

"We want to reach the world by the way of the streets," Ruiz said.



-- You can reach reporter Erin Snelgrove at 957-4208 or by e-mail at esnelgrove@newsreview.info.