Student Blog: Opening the Dance Floor to the Most Joyful of Dancers

At an elite dance studio in my hometown, dancers show up for practice every Thursday like clockwork. They exude boundless energy that rivals the Rockettes at Christmas. But these dancers aren’t worried about triple pirouettes or perfectly pointed toes. They are there simply for the love of dance and the love of each other.  

The Joyful Hearts Dance program serves dancers with developmental disabilities in the DFW area of Texas–dancers who are exuberant about what they do and generous with their support for one another. Whether wearing tap shoes or jazz shoes, they are eager to learn. They are passionate about their friendships. The words “I love you” are as common as a chassé across the floor.

Thanks to special education teacher (and former Kilgore Rangerette) Jennifer Cooper, these kids have a vehicle through which to explore the arts and demonstrate their potential. They attend class once a week during the school year and a weeklong camp every summer. They perform at a recital every year–the same recital as award-winning dancers, many of whom will go on to college dance teams or even dance majors. They have performed in productions of The Nutcracker, competed at local dance competitions and most recently won a Golden Ticket to a World Dance Championship in New York. 

As the sibling of someone with profound autism, I know the rarity of programs like Joyful Hearts. My brother was excluded from school shows when others made a decision, without involving my parents, that he would not be included because he cannot speak. This type of ableism, unfortunately, is all too common in schools and society at large–which is why programs like Joyful Hearts are so important. 

Good art makes an audience member feel something. Great art makes an audience member feel the love that has been poured into it. And by those standards, the art that comes from Joyful Hearts is beyond great. 

I became a volunteer–or dance buddy–for the Joyful Hearts program when it first began, the summer after my freshman year of high school. Mrs. Cooper recruited me, and although I did not fully understand what that role would involve, I had some idea, having grown up with my brother. What I was not prepared for was this role of dance buddy becoming one of the brightest highlights of my high school years. I was not ready for how important that hour every week was, how I hated when anything school-related conflicted with my responsibility to those dancers, how it never felt like a responsibility, but more like a gift.  

What better job could there be than simply making sure kids are dancing and having fun? Whether watching these dancers learn Disney-themed routines, hip-hop, or tap, I have seen them all grow, both in their love for the arts and in their self-confidence. I watched children overcome with stage fright eventually be able to step away from their dance buddies, head to the front of a stage, and dance independently. I witnessed one dancer who was so overcome with anxiety that she had to leave her first performance blossom into one of the most exuberant dancers on the stage. I have watched a shy dancer transform into a leader other dancers look to when they need help with choreography. I have watched a non-speaking child use an AAC (Augmented and Alternative Communication) Device to be part of narration from the stage. 

Joyful Hearts is so much more than just a dance class. It is an example of what meaningful inclusion looks like and why it is important. It is a place where dancers are not defined by limitations, but by their fierce determination and love for each other. The dancers have taught me patience, joy, and the importance of celebrating every achievement. They have reminded me how much people often take for granted, such as merely the opportunity to be seen and included. 

I wish every community had fine arts programs where kids with disabilities are included, step for step, alongside typical peers–the way the world ought to be.

[Author’s note: Another wonderful program for people with disabilities is the nonprofit iCanShine, which provides dancing, biking and swimming camps. My brother learned how to ride a bike at an iCanShine camp many years ago, and biking is now a major part of his life.]https://icanshine.org/

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