At first glance, there’s nothing special about the Sunday-morning adaptive dance classes at Ballet Academy East (BAE). A studio, a teacher, music, a smattering of young students trying to do ballet and occasionally misbehaving—these are common ingredients in any children’s dance class. But look longer and you’ll see there is something special here, starting with […]
In the UK, blind dancers have competed in an international ballroom competition, a 96-year-old care-home resident danced her first seated Charleston, and a wheelchair dancer performed onstage, having thought her dancing days were over. Most dancers who have physical or intellectual disabilities don’t get the chance to perform or compete, but thanks to Rashmi Becker, […]
At 22 months old, Britini D’Angelo was diagnosed with autism—a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. When she was 5, her parents enrolled her in dance lessons at The Dance Shop Dance Studio in Niagara Falls, New York. In that setting, D’Angelo was able to escape the stigma associated with […]
Chelsie Hill was just 17 years old when she was a passenger in a drunk-driving collision that paralyzed her from the waist down. A competition dancer with aspirations for a professional career, Hill grieved what seemed like the loss of her dreams on top of a torrent of mental and emotional hurdles. “It was challenging […]
As a young dancer training with The Washington Ballet, Kitty Lunn fantasized about having a bone transplant. “I was a small person and I wanted to be a tall person,” she says. One day in class, her teacher, dance legend Agnes de Mille, took Lunn’s face in her hands and said, “Kitty, dear, you have […]
Q: How do you approach a K–12 class when one of your students has a disability? A: Growing up watching my deaf sister get left out of conversations made me sensitive to ensuring everyone in my classroom feels included. If you have a student who is disabled, you’ll need to put in a little extra […]
Last night, I experienced the third town hall forum in Dance/NYC’s Disability. Dance. Artistry. series. Before taking questions from the audience, panelists Victoria Marks and David Dorfman talked with moderator Alice Sheppard about the challenges and joys of educating dancers with disabilities. Moderator Alice Sheppard (dance artist/advocate), David Dorfman (Professor of Dance/Chair of Dance Department at Connecticut College), Victoria […]