(upbeat music)
- So usually when I have a first time volunteer
come and be a part of a class and their face says it all.
They're like, "Oh my gosh, that was the coolest thing
"I've ever been a part of."
'Cause it's just a joyful place.
(bright upbeat music)
My name is Lauren Beasley and I'm the founder
and executive director of Move Inclusive Dance
Move Inclusive Dance is a dance studio for everyone,
no matter their ability level.
But I took my first dance class when I was three years old.
From that point on, it was pretty much my everything.
For me, not only was it, you know, a fun activity,
but it was the place where I could go
and know that it was safe for me to express my emotions,
be myself, and it was just really a creative outlet.
It was way more than just learning steps.
Not everyone loves to dance, but a lot of people do.
It's the same for people with disabilities, right?
Why wouldn't there be a place that they could go
take a dance class like I can?
They don't have that opportunity.
And because it was so transformative in my life,
I felt like it was my duty at that point
to make it possible.
When we start the choreography,
what's the very first thing that we do in this combo?
Yes Emma show them we slide and we party.
We slide and we party.
(camera clicks)
When I'm driving to the studio,
I'm probably planning my classes for the day.
One of the things that is different
when you're teaching adaptive dance,
you wanna have a good solid plan,
but you also have to be prepared for literally anything else
to happen just in case, plan A doesn't really go,
as I thought, and you just gotta be ready
to move on your toes like that.
- I oversee all of the programming here
at Move Inclusive Dance.
I'm seeing if all the students are getting their needs met.
You have to get to know the student
in order to understand exactly what they need.
And that's what inclusion is all about.
It's a dance class, but it's adapting
to whoever is coming through the doors.
- We've tailored everything that we do
everything in the building, every part of our curriculum
to be adapted for people with special needs,
but at the same time, people without special needs
are also welcome in the classes too.
Yes we go.
One one and two.
From here, we do a little kick combination with our feet.
So if you're doing the feet, it'll look like this
you go kick forward, take sides and then change it up.
Again, go forward and side and then change it up.
And if you're just doing the upper body,
you're gonna kinda just like...
(vocalizing)
Switch sides, (vocalizing), switch sides.
- Building a better community and a better place
is the ultimate goal.
- No matter where you come from,
what ability level you have, you fit here.
We're going to make dance work for you.
But when things shut down due to COVID,
we immediately had to pivot.
And so we took things to a virtual setting.
Can someone tell me what's improv dance is?
Raise your hand if you know.
- It is the way you just dance without any instruction.
- Yes, it's when you dance without any instruction,
that's a really good description of it.
You know, it's definitely not the same as being in person.
But what I've found is that people right now more than ever
are craving connection.
Our students that are doing the zoom classes,
they love their weekly sessions
because they get to see their friends.
We've had a handful of students that have participated
from out of state because we're doing it online, right?
So you can really join from anywhere.
And that's been a really, really cool thing to see
because it's just opened our program up.
It just requires a lot of energy from me as the teacher.
I am like worn out by the end of one of our virtual classes.
(upbeat music)
Let's do this, just follow me.
(bright upbeat music)
We use dance to get our message out there.
But at the end of the day,
we just want people to be open to one another,
love one another and be positive.
(bright upbeat music)