OUR MISSION
The mission of Free 2 Be Me Dance is to bring the joy of dance
to children and adults with Down syndrome.
to children and adults with Down syndrome.
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Our StoryFree 2 Be Me Dance is an adaptive dance program for children and adults with Down syndrome in the Los Angeles area. It began as a labor of love by Colleen Perry, former ballet dancer and current Marriage and Family Therapist. Having always felt an affinity for people with Down syndrome, Colleen found her connection when she read an article about the Boston Ballet's adaptive dance program in conjunction with Children's Hospital Boston.
The mission of Free 2 Be Me Dance is to bring the joy of dance to individuals with Down syndrome. The program began with just one group of 12 students and has grown to several year-round classes as well as summer classes and professional trainings. Free 2 Be Me Dance is proud to announce its new sister program in Dublin Ireland! |
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Through careful guidance and lots of attention in the classes, the dancers learn proper dance technique, coordination, and how to follow directions. It is a chance for the dancers to feel accepted all while having fun, building confidence, strength, and forming meaningful relationships with their fellow dancers as well as with their teachers and their "special friends."
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Our Program
Since opening its doors, the program has served dozens of children and young adults with Down syndrome in Los Angeles County. The company has performed in several recital shows, at the Special Olympics in Long Beach and at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. Our goal is not only to teach dance, but also to empower the children in our programs and increase their self-esteem with challenging movements and by developing deep friendships.
The following are some of the outcomes we intend for our dancer as he or she participates in Free 2 Be Me Dance:
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(Courtesy of Boston Ballet's Adaptive Dance Program) |
We are proud to be incorporating a new body/brain-centering tool for brain reorganization, oxygenation, and recuperation into our ballet classes. The BrainDance prepares the students for learning and helps with appropriate behavior and social skills.
What is BrainDance?
Developed by Anne Green Gilbert, the BrainDance is a series of exercises comprised of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, we did these movements on our tummies, sides, and back on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly while sitting or standing has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing our central nervous system. Repeating these patterns over time may help us fill in any missing gaps in our neurological system due to birth trauma, illness, environment, head injury or not enough floor time as a baby.
What is BrainDance?
Developed by Anne Green Gilbert, the BrainDance is a series of exercises comprised of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, we did these movements on our tummies, sides, and back on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly while sitting or standing has been found to be beneficial in reorganizing our central nervous system. Repeating these patterns over time may help us fill in any missing gaps in our neurological system due to birth trauma, illness, environment, head injury or not enough floor time as a baby.
Each Free 2 Be Me Dance ballet class follows the same outline, providing stability for the dancers and helping them mature in their skills. The hip hop class focuses more on specific steps and choreography.
Here is an example of some of the things we do in class, and why they are helpful for your child:
Here is an example of some of the things we do in class, and why they are helpful for your child:
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The Welcome
Each child is greeted by name with enthusiasm so they know that they are special and that they are welcome. This is meant to establish good feelings, warmth, and emotional safety for the dancer, and is designed to make their transition to group work easier.
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Warm-up Exercises & Stretches
We begin the class with dancers, teachers and volunteers all sitting in a circle. This shape makes everyone feel equal. No one is before or after anyone else. We clap and sing a song called “Who is in the circle today?” where everyone has the chance to say their name out loud and be recognized while establishing their place within the group. This promotes feelings of belonging and friendship. We then move on to simple stretches like “head, shoulders, knees and toes”, adding more challenging types of stretches that require increasing levels of balance and coordination before moving on to the barre work
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Barre Work
The dancers take their place at the ballet barre using visual cues to increase understanding of "where" to stand in order to reduce anxiety and distraction. The teacher makes sure she has the students' attention on her (increasing mental attention) before asking for volunteers to demonstrate the movements that were learned the previous week (increasing memory recall). The teacher then does the movements with the dancers so that they have visual and auditory cues while performing each movement, all the while being supported physically by their "special friend" to be sure the proper technique is acquired and reinforced. This portion of the class requires maximum amount of self discipline. Next we are going to allow the dancer to release some of the energy that has built up.
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Center Work
This is a chance for the dancers to release some of their energy and improve coordination. Some examples of center floor work are sashays, bourrés, piques, jumps, port-a-bra’s, turns, and “Free Dance”. Free Dance is a very important part of each class where the dancers each take a turn “solo” dancing in front of their peers. This promotes self-expression and self-confidence.
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Cool Down & Relaxation
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Relaxation activity is meant to be used ritualistically as part of the closure of the class. Dancers are asked to lie on a mat and "visualize" their favorite part of class. The teacher gives some suggestions to cue the dancer i.e. seeing their friends, learning a new ballet step, free dance, etc. Visualization helps the dancer to "cement" new learning or pleasurable feelings into the neutral network of the brain. Also, it helps the dancer to focus in a more relaxed way.
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Learn More
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"My daughter loves being part of Free 2 Be Me Dance!!!
We've been part of the team for 5 years now and don't plan on stopping.
Her motor skills and coordination have grown so much and it shows in all that she does. The teachers and volunteers are so awesome and having other parents that deal with the same daily situations with children of all different ages is great. So while enjoying our children dancing, as parents we can also share stories and invaluable information with each other...We love being part of Free 2 Be Me Dance!!”
