"I was thrilled to find out only 2 weeks before the trip that I would be joined by Arial Larsen, a professional dancer, dance instructor and the current Miss Olympus running for Miss Utah in the Miss America Pageant. She came for training purposes and ended up helping in ways unbeknownst to any of us beforehand. The boys were enraptured by her beauty and she commanded a certain respect by her presence. She was very instrumental in motivating the class to keep going when it was hard. At one point, I even had her teach (although she could only speak a smattering of words in Spanish). The boys were puddy in her hands. They gathered around her during every break and before and after class to attempt any bit of communication they could. The part I had her teach was a hip-hop step they were struggling with that I was about to bag and replace with something simpler. A new approach with a teacher they were dying to connect with in any way possible renewed their desire to learn and refreshed their ability to be in the moment. They got it and we used it in the show. Arial has a program for at-risk youth in the Boys and Girls Clubs in Utah called Dance4Life which is similar in purpose to Promethean Spark. With the in-the-field training she received in Costa Rica and training she received soon thereafter in Utah, she will be starting Promethean Spark programs in Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the Utah Valley and beyond. Thank you Arial. All the best in the pageant." Shaun Parry
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