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  • (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.

  • 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)

(upbeat music)

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