Heidi Latsky “Dives Into the Heart of Difference”

Doug Fox, over at Great Dance, The Kinetic Interface, alerted me to this Heidi Latsky work that will soon enjoy its New York City premiere (having premiered officially last November in Albuquerque, New Mexico). In her director’s notes, Heidi Latsky comments:

People go to dance events to see what they cannot do themselves. Dancers are generally perceived as limitless; disabled persons as essentially unable. Bringing these two groups together challenges conventional notions of dance, performance and body image. GIMP’s unique palette of limbs offers an edgy landscape of uncommon beauty that examines the uncompromising ways we are often identified or defined by our physicality.

Please visit the Gimp Project site for more about this work and project.

Experiences – Yours and Mine

I grew up in a studio that welcomed differently abled dancers into general classes and encouraged and invited them to discover and share their own unique expression and talent in performance and choreography. I have also worked within organizations or schools that provide programs designed for those that may or may not be able to integrate into general classes. As an instructor, I have occasionally taught students of different physical abilities and have found it to be a rewarding though sometimes challenging experience. Seeing this excerpt brought back these experiences and piqued my curiosity about   the participation of those with physical and/or intellectual challenges in dance classes and studios elsewhere. What are your experiences in reaching out to this community or population of students at your school? I look forward to reading about your experiences in the comment section below.

Even if you don’t have the time or desire to leave a comment, please consider responding to the poll below.

I’ve kept the poll relatively simple, however, I realize there are probably multiple ways to answer this question. If you’d like to expand on your answer, I invite you to share it with other readers in the comment section below.

UPDATE

Just wanted to include the link to a recorded interview with Heidi Latsky which Eva at InfiniteBody blog has conducted and shared with us. You can find the podcast at the bottom of her post – CLICK HERE.

Originally posted March 12, 2009

Nichelle Strzepek is the writer/editor of Dance Advantage. Equipped with little more than passion for movement education, she embraced her inner computer nerd and began this blog in 2008. She holds a BA in dance and is an instructor with over 16 years experience. Nichelle continues to perform as a contemporary dance artist, covers dance in the Houston area as a freelance writer and critic, and balances daily life as a full-time mom.

Nichelle has written 309 articles for Dance Advantage.