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Wander the wood floors now, look over snowman necklaces Links of London Sale from Scrabble tiles, bright Vera Bradley cloth paisley bags, cake servers that look like heeled shoes and Tangelder's good-hearted style begins with a "hello" to all. She has arranged collections for the food pantry and gifts of shampoo and toys for those spending the holidays in a local women's shelter. For season festivities at the beginning of the month, she coordinated a live nativity scene behind the store, with children as angels, and an appearance by two visiting reindeer that she spent a year on a waiting list for. This year, her work, and the economy that may be on the mend, seems to be paying off with people who have been coming from Clarence and more distant suburbs. "When they come up to the register, they're excited, they think they've picked out that perfect something," she said. To her, they are looking happier when they leave than when they arrived, whether they buy or not.They weren't dancing with the stars. On Saturday, 108 fifth graders were the stars as they took the stage at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School auditorium for the semi-finals of the city's Dancing Classrooms, a ballroom dance competition. Links of London Bangles tall in colorful dance dresses and ties, shoes shined, patent leather gleaming and sashes representing their team colors, the dancers from nine city public and parochial schools demonstrated skills they acquired during a 10-week dance program this fall. "This is grace," said Lorrie Jackson Mitchell of Highland Park as she watched her 10-year-old daughter, Teonna, and her partner, Adonis Grant, glide through a warm-up with their team from St. Benedict the Moor School. "She practices all the time. At first (the girls) didn't want to touch boys. But they took it seriously, and now they just love it," Mitchell said. The audience loved it as well, offering cheers, applause, and whoops of joy to the "ladies and gentlemen," who beamed as they took their bows at the end of each dance. The Dancing Classrooms, now in its second year in Pittsburgh is a joint program of the schools and Mercy Behavioral Health. More than 400 fifth graders in nine schools learned to dance this fall. Another seven schools will offer the program this spring. A project of the American Ballroom Theater Company, the program uses professional dancers, who train with the students during a 10-week program designed to enhance confidence and build respect for others as learners are put through their Links of London Sweetie Black Rhodium & 18ct Rolled Gold Bracelet. Mark Rogalsky, prevention supervisor with Mercy Behavioral Health, said the organization partnered with the Pittsburgh Public Schools to launch the program featured in the documentary film "Mad Hot Ballroom," two years ago to promote healthy development. Teachers and parents say it has had an impact. Gretchen Eckroat, a music teacher at Phillips and Spring Hill elementary schools, was concerned when school started this fall and an influx of new students seemed to spark tension and resentments. "Now many of the new students are involved in this. They get along. It's helped build community," she said, as couples sporting school colors worked to out-do each other in a spirited swing to the strains of "Rock Around the Clock." Maria Searcy of Perry Hilltop said her daughter 10-year-old Chandler learned time-management skills to complete homework, violin lessons and dance practice for the Phillips K-5 team. "At this age they can be kind of shy, and it just brought them out of themselves," she said. Teams competed in the merengue, foxtrot, rhumba, tango and swing. It took two rounds of tie-breaker dances by the team captains to narrow the field down to four teams -- Pittsburgh West Liberty Red Team, Pittsburgh Allegheny Yellow Team, Phillips Green Team and Pittsburgh Sunnyside Indigo Team -- that will compete in the city finals this spring. Chandler Searcy and her teammates from Links of London Sweetie Bracelet GreenTeam were among the semi-final winners.