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Down near the railroad tracks in downtown Troy, two groups of youngsters are making tracks of their own.

Twice a week, they come together in a rail-side building to kick up their heels and dance.

Center Stagers is an after-school program for young people funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and sponsored by the Johnson Center for the Arts.

Brenda Campbell, JCA director, said two groups of young people participate in the afterschool dance training program that culminates with a stage production at the Trojan Center Theater on the campus of Troy University.

“Center Stagers is an outstanding dance training program,” Campbell said. “Especially, because young people don’t have many opportunities to be exposed to drama in school. Other than learning to dance, they also learn to express themselves, to interact with others and to develop a sense of group. They learn the importance of working together as they prepare for a stage performance before a live audience. 

Campbell said Center Stagers is an example of the city and university working together for the benefit of the young people, in support of the arts and with the support of the Alabama Council of the Arts.