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.
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
