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Can art end poverty? A New York--based helps disadvantaged children take the first step.

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You can learn a lot from watching a child dance. "You can see where they're most self-conscious. You can see what they're hiding. You can see their personalities," says Beth Konopka. Since 2007, the dancer and Juilliard graduate has headed up operations for Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), working in impoverished communities from Florida to South Africa by using the arts to help children cope. "The idea is to create these safe spaces where the kids don't feel judged about what they're doing."

Inspired by Mother Teresa and founded by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Juilliard faculty member and music director for Broadway productions, ASTEP began in 2003 with a summer camp in Homestead, Florida, a community with a low socioeconomic demographic. The camp offered...

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