Tag: dance with disability

Using Hip Hop to Reach Kids with Autism

Terms like “proprioceptive” and “vestibular input” don’t often come up in the dance studio. But for Rhythm Works Integrative Dance (RWID) founder Tricia Gomez, they were the “magic words” that convinced a reluctant school principal to give dance a try. Gomez’s hip hop–based curriculum fuses rhythm and dance for students with learning differences. Launch Preschool […]

The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Integrative Dance

I recently had the pleasure of attending, not one, but two workshops on teaching integrative dance. The first was a six-day intensive in February with Cork, Ireland–based Croí Glan Integrated Dance Company. The second was a three-hour workshop last night with Oakland, California–based AXIS Dance Company. Both companies are made up of dancers with and […]

A Teacher in Charleston Finds a New Normal after a Debilitating Spinal Cord Injury

Life changed for Marka Danielle Rodgers four years ago when a driver ran a red light and T-boned her car. The crash left her an incomplete quadriplegic (meaning she still has some nerve function below the point of injury), but it hasn’t stopped her from teaching ballet. Now, she leads class from her wheelchair, using […]