For Sophie White, Saturdays are truly something to look forward to.
The pint-sized pixie wakes up early to pull together her ensemble for the day – a black leotard, pink skirt, leggings and a pair of black ballet shoes.
With her short dark hair pulled back into a barrette, Sophie is anxious to leave her Chaska home and head to dance class. But this isn’t any old dance class she’s off to. Sophie’s dance class is for children with special needs. She is one of 20 students that cheerfully fill the bright studio space at River Valley Dance Academy each Saturday afternoon.
Sophie’s mom Tracy White said that the adaptive dance class has made a big difference for her daughter, who lives with autism.
“She didn’t used to be able to cross mid-line,” said White. “She used to fall down all the time.”
After seven years in various classes at River Valley Dance Academy, White said Sophie’s coordination and mobility is much improved. In class, she can pirouette with the best of them.
Dreams
The success of the adaptive dance class is a dream come true for studio owner and instructor Jocelyn Braudt.
“I always wanted to open up a school for the arts for children with special needs,” she said.
But Braudt, who majored in therapeutic recreation in college and taught dance classes for students with spina bifida and osteogenesis imperfecta, realized upon moving to Minnesota that a special needs school couldn’t support itself. So instead, she opened a dance studio in Chaska and incorporated programming for special needs within the school.
Braudt was intimately familiar with the power of dance for those with physical challenges. As a “very pigeon-toed” 4-year-old, Braudt’s mother had once asked her pediatrician how to resolve her condition. The doctor advised signing her up for ballet. It worked like a charm and Braudt has been dancing ever since.
Eleven years ago, Braudt started her Chaska program with a single special needs dancer. Michaela Powers was a girl in a wheelchair that wasn’t about to let cerebral palsy keep her from dancing. “She took in a typical dance class and we adapted the moves,” said Braudt.
The next year, Braudt expanded to offer the first dedicated adaptive dance class for those with physical disabilities. At the time, she had two students with cerebral palsy. The second year, Braudt had three students in wheelchairs. When year three rolled around, Braudt had expanded the program to offer a creative movement class for those with developmental disabilities like autism.
“Then I decided to have all the kids in one class,” she said.
Braudt said that ultimately she wanted to offer a class that would help to “build confidence, provide recreation and socialization.”
“We’re creating the same experience any other kid can have,” she said.
White said that one of the reasons Sophie loves the class is that it allows her to dance, just like her big sister.
Meaningful
Today, Braudt’s Saturday afternoon class has 20 students – including veterans like Sophie and Powers. They come to Chaska from all around the metro – places like Blaine, Delano, Shakopee, and Minnetonka.
The class also features 21 peer helpers – students from her other dance classes that have volunteered their help.
Braudt loves to see the interaction between the students and the peer helpers – many of which have known each other since they were little.
“They develop this great friendship,” she said.
The class is so popular that there is a waiting list of people who want to volunteer as peer helpers, Braudt said. “There is a huge desire to be a part of something more meaningful.”
“It’s just rewarding,” said Sara O’Konek, 17, of Carver. O’Konek is a graduate of the adaptive dance class who now serves as a peer helper.
“It’s my favorite part of the week,” said Ali Witte, 17, of Chaska. “I’m just beaming when I leave here.”
Seventeen-year-old Taylor Troyak, of Minnetrista, said that working with special needs “might even be something I want to do in college.”
That’s music to Braudt’s ears. “We try hard for the studio to not be about the trophy and the princess thing,” she said. “We try to educate the whole person.”
“Each of us has weaknesses,” she continued. “Each of us has abilities and disabilities.”
The differences seem to disappear when the music cues up, however. Whether they are practicing ballet positions to classical music, shaking purple pom poms to RuPaul, or twirling to Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb,” the shared smiles are hard to miss.
“The program runs itself,” said Braudt. “I just push play.”
-Mollee Francisco, staff writer
Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
02 January 2010
Is Dance an Effective Therapy for Cerebral Palsy?
Overcoming Cerebral Palsy
By Justine van der Leun
Gregg Mozgala, a 31-year-old actor, used to feel inhibited by his cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that occurs when a child’s brain is damaged before the age of two and afflicts a million Americans — most often in the form of poor coordination, weak muscles, and compromised posture. But with a load of determination and the help of an unconventional choreographer, Mozgala is now set to star in an hour-long dance piece in New York City. “I have felt things that I felt were completely closed off to me for the last 30 years,” Mozgala told The New York Times. “The amount of sensation that comes through the work has been totally unexpected and is really
quite wonderful.” While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, Mozgala’s success suggests that a change in approach to the condition can translate into a change in the lives and capabilities of sufferers. Mozgala’s journey began in 2008 when he met choreographer Tamar Rogoff After seeing Mozgala play the lead in “Romeo and Juliet,” produced by Theater Breaking Through Barriers, a group composed of disabled and nondisabled actors, Rogoff was inspired to create a dance piece for him. At first, both Mozgala and Rogoff imagined a 10-minute performance: Mozgala, who then walked on his toes with his upper body thrown back, assumed he could not
manage much more, and Rogoff figured she would create some basic choreography for him. But as they began to work together, her imagination and his capacities began to expand.
Rogoff, who knew little about cerebral palsy, taught Mozgala techniques to release muscular tension. She helped him locate areas of his body over which he had previously exercised no control. In agonizing and illuminating sessions, they worked together to increase his range of movement, employing dance and stretching techniques, and finding his true physical limits. Soon enough, Mozgala was able to stand up straight, to place both feet on the floor, as well as to feel
his Achilles tendon, which he had never before done. He called these revelations
“eureka moments” in the New York Times interview. “There are pre-existing structures in the brain that are very receptive to music, rhythm, and moving to music, which is why at a rock concert, everyone is swaying,” explained Mindy L. Aisen, MD, medical director of The Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation. “The innate pleasure we get from music acted as a reinforcement for getting [Mozgala’s] body re-engaged and for forging new pathways in his brain.”Mozgala had been to physical therapists for over a decade, but his dance training
was different: While before, the therapists had moved his body for him, now he learned how to move his own body. Rogoff identified some of the physical patterns he had been stuck in and gave him specific instructions on how to overcome them, both in the studio and out. His daily life has changed: His balance and strength are so improved that he rarely falls; his gait is steadier,
and he is subject to fewer stares on the street. Most important, he no longer feels
mentally constrained by cerebral palsy. As he told the Times: “Everybody told me
there was nothing I could do,” he said. “That’s just what you hear, from the time
you’re five to adulthood. Tamar gave me an option.” According to Aisen, Mozgala’s story supports an open-minded, patientcentered approach to Cerebral Palsy and other neurological impairments. CPIRF is considering funding a dance therapy program, and at their Washington, D.C. Center, they have begun to use robotics and fun, motivational virtual games to help children use afflicted muscles. “Just as musicians have to practice to hone a motor skill, a brain that’s never had a chance to develop in areas needs the opportunity,” says Aisen. “We think we
can help anyone with cerebral palsy reshape their nervous system in a way.
It’s not a cure, but it is going towards a cure.”
By Justine van der Leun
Gregg Mozgala, a 31-year-old actor, used to feel inhibited by his cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that occurs when a child’s brain is damaged before the age of two and afflicts a million Americans — most often in the form of poor coordination, weak muscles, and compromised posture. But with a load of determination and the help of an unconventional choreographer, Mozgala is now set to star in an hour-long dance piece in New York City. “I have felt things that I felt were completely closed off to me for the last 30 years,” Mozgala told The New York Times. “The amount of sensation that comes through the work has been totally unexpected and is really
quite wonderful.” While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, Mozgala’s success suggests that a change in approach to the condition can translate into a change in the lives and capabilities of sufferers. Mozgala’s journey began in 2008 when he met choreographer Tamar Rogoff After seeing Mozgala play the lead in “Romeo and Juliet,” produced by Theater Breaking Through Barriers, a group composed of disabled and nondisabled actors, Rogoff was inspired to create a dance piece for him. At first, both Mozgala and Rogoff imagined a 10-minute performance: Mozgala, who then walked on his toes with his upper body thrown back, assumed he could not
manage much more, and Rogoff figured she would create some basic choreography for him. But as they began to work together, her imagination and his capacities began to expand.
Rogoff, who knew little about cerebral palsy, taught Mozgala techniques to release muscular tension. She helped him locate areas of his body over which he had previously exercised no control. In agonizing and illuminating sessions, they worked together to increase his range of movement, employing dance and stretching techniques, and finding his true physical limits. Soon enough, Mozgala was able to stand up straight, to place both feet on the floor, as well as to feel
his Achilles tendon, which he had never before done. He called these revelations
“eureka moments” in the New York Times interview. “There are pre-existing structures in the brain that are very receptive to music, rhythm, and moving to music, which is why at a rock concert, everyone is swaying,” explained Mindy L. Aisen, MD, medical director of The Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation. “The innate pleasure we get from music acted as a reinforcement for getting [Mozgala’s] body re-engaged and for forging new pathways in his brain.”Mozgala had been to physical therapists for over a decade, but his dance training
was different: While before, the therapists had moved his body for him, now he learned how to move his own body. Rogoff identified some of the physical patterns he had been stuck in and gave him specific instructions on how to overcome them, both in the studio and out. His daily life has changed: His balance and strength are so improved that he rarely falls; his gait is steadier,
and he is subject to fewer stares on the street. Most important, he no longer feels
mentally constrained by cerebral palsy. As he told the Times: “Everybody told me
there was nothing I could do,” he said. “That’s just what you hear, from the time
you’re five to adulthood. Tamar gave me an option.” According to Aisen, Mozgala’s story supports an open-minded, patientcentered approach to Cerebral Palsy and other neurological impairments. CPIRF is considering funding a dance therapy program, and at their Washington, D.C. Center, they have begun to use robotics and fun, motivational virtual games to help children use afflicted muscles. “Just as musicians have to practice to hone a motor skill, a brain that’s never had a chance to develop in areas needs the opportunity,” says Aisen. “We think we
can help anyone with cerebral palsy reshape their nervous system in a way.
It’s not a cure, but it is going towards a cure.”
26 November 2009
Dance Offers Key To Mobility For Actor With Cerebral Palsy
By Michelle Diament
November 25, 2009
For three decades Gregg Mozgala struggled to walk with cerebral palsy forcing his body up on its toes and wavering from side to side. But at 31, that’s all changing thanks to a choreographer.
Mozgala, an actor, has been working with Tamar Rogoff for just eight months, but is slowly gaining use of muscles and tendons that had been off-limits all his life. In intensive sessions, the two work on one area of the body at a time focusing on tension-release. Unlike physical therapists he’d seen in the past, Mozgala says Rogoff has given him the key to access his own body.
The result is that Mozgala can now walk more smoothly and doesn’t fall like he used to. And it proves what scientists have come to believe about the brain — that it’s constantly changing and able to grow.
The pair’s success is also yielding a four-person hour-long dance premiering in December in New York City, much more than the 10-minute presentation the two envisioned at first, reports The New York Times.
November 25, 2009
For three decades Gregg Mozgala struggled to walk with cerebral palsy forcing his body up on its toes and wavering from side to side. But at 31, that’s all changing thanks to a choreographer.
Mozgala, an actor, has been working with Tamar Rogoff for just eight months, but is slowly gaining use of muscles and tendons that had been off-limits all his life. In intensive sessions, the two work on one area of the body at a time focusing on tension-release. Unlike physical therapists he’d seen in the past, Mozgala says Rogoff has given him the key to access his own body.
The result is that Mozgala can now walk more smoothly and doesn’t fall like he used to. And it proves what scientists have come to believe about the brain — that it’s constantly changing and able to grow.
The pair’s success is also yielding a four-person hour-long dance premiering in December in New York City, much more than the 10-minute presentation the two envisioned at first, reports The New York Times.
01 March 2009
Bird Loves Ray Charles
I don't have an ounce of rhythm in my body but this bird sure does. This Cockatoo dances like there is no tomorrow. I get the feeling it takes him a while to wind down too, because he was still going when the music stopped.
Watch him dance
Watch him dance
06 February 2009
Parkinson's Dance Therapy
Following this video I had an email from a visitor watching this who very kindly told me about his blog and as given me his web address which I want to share share with you all. Read about his life
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