TAMPA, Fla. — Tyrah was ready to tap dance.
Like, really tap dance. In real tap shoes.
For weeks, the sixth-grader and her classmates at Academy Prep Center of Tampa had practiced tap in socks and bare feet.
Then, on a very special Thursday, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts showed up with gifts.
"They were doing great in their bare feet, but they were so ready for today," says Trisha Stever, a teaching artist for the Straz's outreach program.
Brand-new tap shoes. Dozens of boxes of them, in fact. And a brand-new love of dance.
Academy Prep is a nonprofit that empowers students qualifying for need-based scholarships.
The Straz partners with dozens of schools and organizations in Tampa Bay, spreading love for the arts.
For Tyrah, learning how to tap dance can be tricky, but she says that's the fun part.
"Sometimes learning new skills is kinda hard, but once you keep practicing, it's gonna get easier," she said.
For more on the Straz's outreach program, go here.
Brides, families fighting for refunds after event venue closes suddenly
“We’ve struggled so hard to scrape the money to be able to do this for her,” Irizarry said. “She’s my only girl and I wanted this so much for her.”
Couples and families who had weddings and events planned at a well-known venue that abruptly closed claim they’re out thousands of dollars and aren’t being given refunds. Annette Irizarry was supposed to hold her 15-year-old daughter’s quinceañera in August at the Clearwater location and said she’s now out the $6,160 she paid. Without that money, Irizarry said she can’t afford to have her daughter’s celebration somewhere else.
