Ike Anderson joined the Music Resource Center (MRC) when he was in middle school. He fell in love with dance, and the MRC staff noticed. They didn’t have a dedicated dance space so they created a studio in the basement just for him.
“Probably one of the happiest days of my life,” said Anderson.
Nearly 30 years later, Anderson tries to give kids that same sense of belonging and support. He’s worked at the nonprofit afterschool program since 2005 and is now the community coordinator as well as the dance coach for Swerve, their competitive hip-hop dance team. They practice in a full-fledged dance studio on the main floor, where there are also band rehearsal spaces and audio recording rooms.
“I try to iterate to my students that they’re in the safest place to discover whatever talents that they’re trying to find,” he said. “What we do here works.”
Joining a group or club — whether that’s the Boys & Girls Club, Lighthouse Studio, Live Arts or the MRC — gives young people a built-in, close-knit community that is invested in their wellbeing and success.
“I hope that in the next 20 years, all of our programs become more integral joints of the Charlottesville community,” he said.
Videography and editing by Zach Keifer. Produced by Atlee Webber.
The first step to creating our shared future is imagining it.
For Charlottesville Tomorrow’s 20th anniversary, we are inviting central Virginians to share their visions for the next 20 years.
