In Focus: Yes, you can dance!

On a Sun­day af­ter­noon in a Mt. Leb­a­non base­ment, One Direc­tion’s “What Makes You Beau­ti­ful” is blar­ing across a wooden dance floor as cou­ples line up to “loosen up.”
“Let’s go!” shouts Mr. B.
Mr. B, as he pre­fers to be called, is Bren­nan Re­ich, 32, of Peters. He is one of a dozen or so stu­dents ea­ger for the start of a ball­room dance class at Steel City Ball­room. Cel­e­brat­ing its fourth year this month, “Yes, You Can Dance” is a non­profit that teaches ball­room danc­ing to those with spe­cial needs.
Pres­i­dent, founder and ball­room dancer Becky Stern of Up­per St. Clair said she started the com­pany to in­tro­duce peo­ple with cog­ni­tive dis­abil­i­ties to the ben­e­fits of ball­room danc­ing.
“Ball­room danc­ing is unique in that you are part­ner­ing and com­mu­ni­cat­ing non­ver­bally. You’re com­mu­ni­cat­ing head to toe,” Ms. Stern said.
The class is also a chance to so­cial­ize and build con­fi­dence, said Terry Dzurenda of Bald­win. Her daugh­ter, Tracey, 30, smiles as she shows off her new danc­ing shoes, which she’s wear­ing for the first time.
“It’s a chance to see them not as some­one with spe­cial needs, but as a dancer in the crowd,” Ms. Stern said.