An online danceathon organised by Tiny Toes Ballet, a Swansea-headquartered pre-school dance school, has so far raised £370 to support those affected by the Skewen floods.
The event, which involved dancing non-stop for 25 minutes, was attended by approximately 30 local families on Zoom and many additional families via Facebook Live. Dancers ranged in age from 18 months to seven years and came from all areas covered by the local Tiny Toes classes, from Pennard to Llanelli, and from Pontardawe to Port Talbot.
The event was organised by Eleanor Caplikiene, who runs Tiny Toes Ballet Swansea, Neath Port Talbot & Llanelli, after she saw the news of the devastating floods in Skewen on January 21, which were caused by the collapse of an old mine.
“Many of our dancers come from the Skewen area and we also teach there too,” she said. “As a local business, I wanted to do what we could to support and help. We are a strong community, and we must be there to help and support each other, now more than ever. At Tiny Toes, we always want to get involved in local events and lockdown is no exception.”
Being in lockdown did make it harder to find a way to raise money – but Eleanor quickly hit on a solution.
“I came up with the idea of doing what we do best: dancing,” she said. “We took bookings via our website and the total cost of the booking was donated. I also set up a Just Giving page.”
Eleanor is delighted by the efforts of the young dancers and by the amount of money raised, which is expected to continue to rise as more donations come in.
“The dancers were all amazing,” she said. “It is no small task dancing non-stop for 25 minutes when you only have little legs. But, as always, our Tiny Toes families and dancers rallied around offering support and raising money for a worthwhile cause. I am always very proud of our Tiny Toes family. This year they have shown such loyalty time and time again.”
The JustGiving page is still open. To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tinytoesballetswansea
Or visit the Just Giving website and search for Tiny Toes Ballet – it’s under crowdfunders.
