Self-expression can come in many different forms, but kids from Random Acts of Theatre Company do that through the arts.

Children of all ages could be seen at the River Front Park on Sunday showing off their best moves for the camera.

“We have a young video movie director who is making a short film to document what RATCO does as a national program,” said Amanda Farnsworth, national director of Random Acts of Theatre Company.

RATCO is a national program that started in Selma and now has locations in Atlanta and Denver.

“We do musicals, theatre, plays, teach spoken word, dance, self-expression and freedom to express yourself through the arts,” Farnsworth said. “We’ve been here in Selma for just over seven years.”

RATCO was formed to help kids of all ages build confidence and learn to express themselves through love of the arts.

“Every kid that comes through the program leaves having a different way of expressing themselves with confidence,” Farnsworth said.

“I think the main thing that we see change with the kids that come through the program is confidence and just joy about the arts and learning how to dance and how to sing in a way that they feel confident about.”

The program has different levels based on age, and they start teaching kids as early as three years old.

“For the little kids, we have a specific program geared towards their age group,” Farnsworth said. “We do a lot of visual arts. We do a lot of dancing with them and start teaching them how to be confident on stage and choreograph dance move and things like that.”

Farnsworth said out of everything that they do in the program, dancing is considered to be the most fun for all ages.

“A thousand percent — the dancing is the most fun for all ages,” Farnsworth said. “It’s just one part of the program, but it’s one of the most engaging parts of the program.”

Dancing is a contagious part of the program that Farnsworth said is just really exciting to be a part of.

“What’s great is you’ll see the little kids start dancing, and you’ll look out and see all the parents are dancing too,” Farnsworth said. “That’s one of my favorite things about RATCO is everyone get’s involved, even the parents and the volunteers and the counselors and the directors, they all get involved with the dancing.”

One member of the group, 11-year-old Bre’shay Hunter, said she loves RATCO and what it stands for.

“RATCO is where we can be ourselves and just hang out for fun,” Hunter said. “We do dance routines, and we do interviews a lot to show people that you can just be who you really are and not be anybody else.”

Hunter said her favorite part is being herself and expressing her emotions through the arts.

“You can be yourself,” Hunter said. “I can be myself there. I can go hang out and not be anybody else.”