Students of the Eastside Dance Academy prepare for their debut performance Saturday.

Dancer Simone McDonald said she was more excited than anxious to perform.

"No nerves. Actually I really thought I would have nerves, but I don't," she said

Director Rodolfo Mendez said the students were all excited for Saturday's winter showcase. Mendez has been teaching Eastside Memorial High students to dance. Funded by grants, this is a first-of-a-kind program for the school.

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"I wanted to make it a theatrical event for them. Something that they can remember or get excited about," he said.

And for students of a school that was initially shut down due to poor performance and low attendance, and reopened with a new name, plan and objective, the program is a positive indication of change.

"We're not old Johnston, we're new Johnston. We're coming in new we're coming in strong," McDonald said.

Five days a week, the students have been coming to class.

"When I come to this classroom, it's like getting down to business, getting down to dancing and that's all," Rochell Flores said.

That dedication has helped the students in their other classes. McDonald said Eastside's dance program has changed her outlook for the better.

"We came here with different attitudes, and now we look at everything different. We look at everything in a positive way, not negative, like, 'No I could never do that, I'm not going to do that,' but we look at everything right," McDonald said.

Students said the program has given them new opportunities, and not just on the dance floor.

"Just because you're a different color means you have to do one thing, you don't have to," McDonald said.