In a neighborhood often defined by headlines of hardship and scarcity, a different story has been unfolding: one of grace, discipline, and self-discovery.

Within Hunts Point, a group of children gather three times a week to study ballet, modern dance, and even human anatomy. They are part of “Ballet in the Bronx,” a free afterschool program developed by the Hunts Point Alliance for Children (HPAC), and their presence on the dance floor is both an act of artistry and quiet revolution.

Taught by professional dancers from the Tyler Brown Dance Company, these elementary and middle school students are doing more than just pliés and tendus. They’re building confidence, learning the value of discipline, and discovering how movement can be a powerful form of self-expression. Modest donations of all kinds, ranging from $25 checks to ballet tights for the artists, have helped the program continue and grow.

Once a year, HPAC gives students a practice uniform: leotards, ballet slippers, tights. It’s a transformative gesture. Wearing professional attire and being guided by trained instructors, the students begin to see themselves not just as kids in an after-school program, but as dancers – as artists. This shift in self-perception is powerful. It instills pride, affirms potential, and reinforces the idea that they deserve spaces to dream.

This matters deeply in places like Hunts Point. Studies show that students from low-income backgrounds who participate in arts education are not only more likely to stay in school, but also show higher academic achievement and greater civic engagement. Yet in many underfunded schools, arts programming is often the first to be cut. For Bronx youth, the Hunts Point Alliance for Children has dedicated their work to creating opportunities like Ballet in the Bronx, The Shakespeare Ensemble, and Storefront which are essential programs to building artistic community in the South Bronx.

In 2024, four students from the program were invited on an all-expense paid trip to London to train with international professionals, an experience that would be life-changing in any context, but particularly so for children whose worlds have often been confined by systemic neglect. That trip was not just about dance; it was about expanding imagination, lifting boundaries, and helping them see the world – and themselves – in new ways.

At the end of each class, the dancers gather in a closing circle. One by one, they name someone who inspired them that day: a peer who stayed focused, a friend who offered encouragement, or simply someone who showed up. In these circles, a community is built. In these movements, identity is shaped. And in these children, a new story of the Bronx is being told.

I’ve had the privilege of documenting the journey of the students as they prepare for their end of the year recital taking place June 13th and 14th. The dancers have been rehearsing for their performance of Alice in Wonderland and I have witnessed the pride in their eyes, the tenderness in their friendships, the strength in their bodies. These are images I am proud to share. Because Hunts Point deserves to be seen not just for its struggles, but for its joy, its resilience, and the art it creates.

Kamille Vargas-Estrella is a Bronx-born photographer whose work has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions, including Yo Soy de Aqui // I’m from Here (2024) and Exposure (2017) at WallWorks NY, and her show Body Positivity Project at The New School (2018). She has also contributed photography and writing to publications addressing racial equity, environmental justice, and community resilience. Her ongoing project, Changing Perspectives – Dancing Around the Pointe, documents the growth of young ballet dancers in the Bronx.

Photos by Kamille Vargas-Estrella

En Pointe in Hunts Point: Breaking Through Boundaries Via Ballet in the Bronx