Teen dance aims to give youth place to go

By Joseph Quigley

The new teen dance program is responding to a lack of entertainment for Belleville’s youth, the organizer said this week.

Local DJ Michael Clark, 34, is organizing a dance event for youth ages 13-18. The first event will take place Friday, from 8:00p.m.-11:00p.m. at the Parkdale Community Centre. Tickets will cost $10. If the first event is successful, Clark says he will run the event every other week. He will also look for a larger venue should the dance gain a lot of interest.

Clark hopes to provide the youth of Belleville with a strong event oriented toward them, something he says that the youth of the city sorely need. The event will help keep youth off the street and out of trouble, he stressed.

“There’s not really much for youth to do in Belleville,” Clark said. “They could have more stuff then they do, that’s for sure.”

Clark was a DJ for two dances at Moira Secondary School this past year. The two dances were successful and enjoyable for students, he said .
“When I deejayed at Moira Secondary School last year for two dances, that was a lot of fun. Even though it’s just a dance, and people think that dances are boring, but they actually do have a lot of fun there…I think it has a good impact on them,” Clark said.

The event will also feature door prizes, donated by local restaurants, Clark said.

Clark hopes this event will be similarly successful to his past events with students, and that the youth will have a good time.
“I just want to create fun for teenagers, and have fun for myself while doing it.”