(25 Aug 2014) Girls from a rough neighbourhood known as "cracolandia", or "crackland", in Sao Paulo are learning the graceful art of ballet courtesy of a local church group.
Twice a week, more than 20 girls, aged five to 12, put on pink or black tights and ballet shoes donated by a dancewear store.
The class is among several groups where young dancers hope to catch the eye of a respected Brazilian ballerina who recruits dozens of disadvantaged girls for an annual workshop.
The time spent focused on grace and control is far removed from the girls' daily lives.
Many are being raised by parents who are recovering from or are addicted to drugs, and others have experienced violence.
Ballet instructor Joana Machado said the class is meant to teach the girls basic life principles that they are not taught at home.
She just opened a studio named "House of Dreams" in the neighbourhood, relocating the class from a more commercial area of Sao Paulo.
Machado herself was raised by a drug addict, who later recovered, in the northeastern state of Bahia.

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