The ‘Joy’ of dancing

Thanks to Angelina “Joy” Emanuele, students at Sonora Elementary School can earn experience as dancers and gymnasts ? not to mention music critics.

Emanuele, who teaches dance and exercise to students around Southern California, leads an exercise class every Monday at Sonora for second- and third-graders. The students, who are practicing for a show at the school in June, dance to Emanuele’s original recordings, which she writes and sings herself.

Of course, to stay in touch with modern youth, she sometimes tests her works on the students and asks for input. Right now, she and the Sonora group are working on an inspirational pop tune for their performance. The tentative title: “Get Dressed, Get Ready.”

“We’re writing that one for the babies, so the little ones know what to do when they get up in the morning,” Emanuele said.

Earlier this year, PTA President Mette Segerblom found Emanuele online while looking for a new activity for Sonora students. A longtime actress and choreographer, Emanuele has appeared on “Seinfeld” and once hosted her own television show, “The Joy House,” in addition to leading classes for students.

This spring, Emanuele started a 12-week class at Sonora, held every Monday after school. For an hour, about 50 students sing, dance and do gymnastics in the school’s multipurpose room, while honing their musical creations on the side.

“I was looking for different opportunities online, and she had worked with at-risk kids in Los Angeles,” Segerblom said. “She’s worked with the ? [Los Angeles Police Department]. So it looked like she had a good ‘in’ with our age group.”

This week marked the halfway point in Emanuele’s class. With the teacher’s songs echoing through the multipurpose room, students practiced splits, jumping jacks, handstands, leg kicks and somersaults.

Students in the class said Emanuele’s exercises are fun but also rigorous. Third-grader Dilara Rodriguez, 9, said the toughest part is becoming more agile.

“I will learn the splits, but it’s hard right now for me,” she said.

The exercise may pay off in more ways than one, though.

During the school’s show in June, Emanuele said, she plans to film a music video and pitch it to Nike.

“You make kids feel good about themselves and give them something to do,” she said about her class. “It’s not just sitting in front of the TV.”dpt.04-sonora-CPhotoInfoGR1QJQUG20060504iypvyfncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Makena Ochoa, left, of Sonora Elementary School bends over backward with a roomful of other second- and third-graders as they dance to hip-hop music.