To me, Saint Joseph Ballet is an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to find out who you are, to find out what strengths you have and what strengths you need to build. It will direct you. It might not be in dance, but it will teach you discipline, perseverance, and a love for work, because without work you're not going to get anywhere ‚ even if you have the talent. Flor de Liz Alzate, Saint Joseph Ballet alumna

There are 350 children, ages 9 - 19, enrolled in the Saint Joseph Ballet of Santa Ana, California. A typical student comes from a two-parent family of five, with an average monthly income of less than $1,700. Through their participation in "the Saint Joseph experience," however, that student acquires far more "assets" than the average American young person does.

How so? In 1998, researchers Scott Simpson and Nancy Minear at the University of California at Irvine studied the effects of the Ballet on children's social and behavioral development. Using a methodology called Asset Development to measure an individual's positive identity, values, expectations, use of time, and commitment to learning, the researchers analyzed the assets of Saint Joseph Ballet students and compared them to a model based on a national sample of young people. The national average for Asset Development is 16. Saint Joseph Ballet's students average 26 assets ‚ 10 more than the average American child.

These assets are the prevention tools adolescents employ to avoid risky behaviors. Saint Joseph Ballet develops them in their students through year-round dance classes, which student attend twice a week (sometimes six times a week for advanced students), along with field trips, workshops, and participation in an outreach program that touches 2,700 children in Santa Ana's poorest neighborhoods.

Saint Joseph Ballet sets the bar high: students must be on time and prepared or they are not permitted to participate in the classes, which are taught by former dancers with such esteemed companies as American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and Compania Nacional de Danzo of Mexico City. At the same time, the Ballet, with the University of California at Irvine, provides help: free academic tutoring and computer skills training for students, as well as stress management and family finance programs for parents.

Since 1983, Saint Joseph Ballet "has instilled self-discipline and self-respect while providing a safe haven in downtown Santa Ana," observes Richard H. Owens, vice president of The Music Center of Los Angeles County, noting what may be a critical factor in its success: "Its members are treated as artists and are expected to behave accordingly."