Dance students from a performing arts school in Wilmington, Delaware received a very special invitation.

KYW’s Hadas Kuznits reports Joan Warburton-Phibbs, dance teacher at Cab Calloway School of the Arts, says on Tuesday, a handful of her students are headed to the nation’s capital:

“We were invited to participate in the White House first inaugural gala event for workshops and performance in honor of Judith Jamison.”

(Kuznits:) “How did the White House find you?”

“Well, that’s a very good questions and I don’t have the exact answer. It’s quite a shock, quite a surprise but I understand that they had heard about Cab.”

So how did the White House reach out to the school?

“The secretary received a phone call and she just laughed. He said this is Kwane from the White House and I’m calling to invite you and she just laughed and she goes, what are you kidding me? And she thought it was a prank phone call and he said no, you don’t understand, this really is the White House.”

She says students will watch performances by some world renowned dance troupes, and will then participate in students workshops at the White House.