Feelin' groovy

"Cha-cha slide, cha-cha slide!" echoed the voices of the little girls circling Sherry Goldberg, arms wrapped around her waist, little hands pulling at her gray UW sweater.

"Miss Sherry!" shouted 7-year-old Silvia, desperately trying to get Sherry's attention over the din of B2K music and giggling, yelling elementary school students.

Sherry, with a patient smile plastered on her face, assured Silvia that just using her first name was fine. But it didn't matter -- Silvia had already run off to remove her shoes and get in place for the dance.

This is Sherry's first quarter volunteering with children at the Garfield Community Center as part of the UW's Pipeline Project. She was linked with these children in October and has been working to prepare them for their showcase tomorrow at the Seattle Art Museum.

All the students involved in Pipeline will take part in the showcase, and Sherry's students are performing a hip-hop dance that still hasn't quite come together.

"You guys need to listen!" called Sonia, their dance instructor. "If you guys want this to be good, and I know you do, you really need to focus today."

The owner of a break-dancing company called Turf, she was dressed in a black T-shirt that read: "Rhyme and Resist," with thick, black-rimmed glasses and a black beanie that covered her short, dark hair.

Although she appeared intimidating at first, the kids loved her, and she was extremely friendly -- and patient.

One of the girls, in a pink 101 Dalmatians sweater and hair in braids, broke into her own rendition of Lil' Romeo's "Ghetto Girls." Silvia was still screaming about the cha-cha slide, and another two were fighting over who was older.

"Scuse me? I'm 10., and I'm going to be 11 on Nov. 26!" yelled an outspoken fifth-grader named Mariah.

Sherry tried to quiet the kids, while Sonia tried another approach. "If you can hear me, clap once!" she said.

A few claps.

"If you can hear me, clap twice!"

A few more.

"If you can hear me, be quiet and sit down!"

They all sat. She finally had their attention.

"Sometimes it can be a little frustrating," said Sherry. "Especially when they can't seem to do simple things, like not talking, which you'd think would be a given.

"But you have to also understand that this is their after-school activity and they want to have fun too. They've never had an opportunity like this before."

Sherry said the experience has been rewarding. She has gotten the chance to watch the fifth-graders learn, and she's been able to get to know them individually.

Her tutoring is beneficial to both the kids and herself. On top of making a difference, Sherry will also earn three credits for her service, due to Pipeline's educational seminar. The seminar requires her to tutor, attend a bi-weekly meeting and complete a research paper.

Back at the community center dance practice, the girls got into groups to practice separate parts of the dance, and a few of them called Sherry over to watch.

She shouted encouragements and applauded loudly. But before the song finished, she rushed off to the other side of the room to console 8-year-old Miranda, who was crying because a couple of the others didn't want to work with her.

After solving the problem and offering Kleenex, Sherry had to fetch a Band-Aid for one of the other girls who had fallen during the routine.

It's easy to see why Sonia needs Sherry's help. It is also evident that both of them enjoy watching the elementary school kids learn the love of movement.

"The kids love to choreograph the dances," said Sonia. "And they're good at it. Working together helps them to develop group dynamics. They work collaboratively, getting communication skills and leadership skills."

Sherry agreed. "It's neat to see different kids interact who usually wouldn't in a school situation. These are kids from different schools, different backgrounds, uniting for a common goal," she said.

Salina, a little girl with dark hair and a T-shirt with a hula girl on the front, ran over to give Sherry a hug.

Sherry pulled out the picture Salina made of her, a girl with a red crayon smile and long legs. On another sheet of paper, Sherry had quotes from the kids.

"Dance makes me feel good, proud and happy," the paper read. "Dance makes me feel like a star."