Hope Stone, Inc.

Hope Stone, Inc. is an amazing resource for promoting education in performing and visual arts to youth and adults in the Houston area.

Hope Stone, Inc. is an outreach program dedicated to providing support to Houstonians through dance, creative movement and other performing and visual arts. Founded in 1997 by director Jane Weiner, Hope Stone, Inc. has quickly become a beacon of light for children and adults alike.

Upon entering the Hope Center, Hope Stone Inc.'s 3500 square-foot space located in the Montrose area, you're immediately engulfed in an aura of positive energy. The high ceilings, moody recessed lighting, earthy decor and the distant sound of live drumming create a warm and nurturing environment. The actual dance studio is a large rectangular room with an entire wall of mirrors directly opposite a wall of windows which remain uncovered.

Hope Stone, Inc. deeply believes that an appreciation for and participation in the arts is a necessity and a right of all individuals regardless of age, gender and economic situation. In keeping with that philosophy, the center offers courses in everything from guitar to modern dance and offers them to ages 18 months and beyond. Hope Stone Inc. also houses the phenomenal Hope Stone Dance performance ensemble. The troupe was formed over a decade ago and continues to thrive with several performances scheduled for the 2011 season.

My personal experience with Hope Stone was attending an adult modern dance class on a Tuesday evening. I received the session as a gift and though I was appreciative of the geture, I was quite apprehensive about the idea of starting a dance class after a 12-year hiatus from the art. I was fully prepared to be humiliated.

I could not have been more surprised to discover how welcoming and non-judgemental the staff at Hope Stone turned out to be. Even the other students (who quite literally could have danced circles around me) never made me feel uncomfortable, even after my fifth request for the instructor to repeat a simple sequence of movements. Having visited several other dance studios and witnessed the pretention and competitiveness that's so often found in them, this place was an oasis.

The instructor, Erin Reck, was gentle and uplifting. I expressed my anxieties surrounding the class at the very start of it. She heard my story and very convincingly assured me that I was in a safe place of peace and non-judgement. I had my doubts but they didn't linger for long. By the end of the class I felt rejuvenated, accomplished and excited to experience the class again the following week.