As we enter the dance studio, soft music fills the room as the dancers’ lively movements capture the joy they express through dancing. Costumes for their next event lay scattered on the floor, each piece representing the different cultures of the dancers. These dancers are accomplishing a dream they never thought they could achieve because of their disabilities as Dancing Dreams gives children with medical or physical challenges the opportunity to attend dance classes and perform. Their motto is, “Everyone pliés, they just do it in their own way!”
“We just had a little ballet, a little bar in my office for kids to practice standing and walking,” Founder of Dancing Dreams Joann Ferrara said. “ I said to her, ‘Oh, you’re like a ballerina,’ and she just looked at me at four years old. She had cerebral palsy, and said, ‘I wish I could be a dancer, but nobody wants me.’”
According to Ferrara, Dancing Dreams started “on the spur of the moment,” and turned from a little dance studio in the back of her office to a warm and welcoming dance center for children who didn’t have the opportunity because of their disabilities. Ferrara was inspired by the little girl who couldn’t dance because of her disability.
“We have children that are in a wheelchair and really can only move one arm,” Ferrara said. “We have children who don’t speak. We have children who are very chatty. We have children who use crutches, wheelchairs.”
Dancing Dreams studio values equality and wants to create a diverse environment where everyone can feel safe and feel like they belong.
“I fell in love with it because I saw so many other people my age who had similar conditions, or a completely different condition than mine, just enjoy their time,” senior dancer Leah Zelaya said. “It just continues to empower me and I know it empowers so many other people.”
After developing this studio, it has continued to grow, inspire and encourage so many of their dancers to become someone they never thought they could, sharing something with them that no one could recreate.
“She’s just so supportive because dancing has taught her so much,” Zelaya said. “She’s just been so great with me and she’s been patient and just been there for me and she feels like she’s a sister”
Dancing Dreams has helped many people like Zelaya make friends, with their peers, volunteers, and even their teen helpers. “She feels like a sister to me,” Zelaya said. Even the volunteers have grown attached to the dancers and the people of this community.
“Seeing them develop and grow,” volunteer Robin said. “Just in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen kids do that. That’s just incredibly rewarding to me. Watching them come out of that shell a little bit is just wonderful.”
This diverse community has helped invent a safe space where every person feels like they belong, which then empowers them with so much more societal benefits. The studio has helped many children expand their horizons and become more outgoing.
“One of my favorite times is backstage before the show when we have just the dancers, and the helpers are putting on their costumes and putting on their makeup.,” Ferrara said.
This organization puts on many shows for many different occasions. Their closest upcoming event is their annual Dance Show, which will include this year’s theme of We Are The World, an event that showcases all of the dancers’ different cultures and languages.
“We have dances that celebrate everybody’s heritage,” Ferrara said. “It starts with a song called Journey, and it’s like our journey to learn everything,”
Many of the students’ favorite memories from participating in Dancing Dreams were the dance performances they performed in front of a huge crowd, alongside their peers and volunteers.
“That was just such a dream come true for me, just to dance on that stage,” Zelaya said. “Being so young and seeing the crowd, I got really nervous. But then I saw everyone just enjoying themselves, showing their talent on stage, that it just empowered me so much just to have fun.”
Many dancers, like Zelaya, are nervous before a big event, but then remember the reason they are there- to have fun with the people who have been next to them during the process of growing and becoming a better dancer.
“I think it’s important to break those stereotypes,” Zelaya said. “When I see someone who is disabled in Dancing Dreams pursuing what they love, it could be academically or it could be through the arts or whatever they love. It’s just beautiful because it shows that people who are disabled have the power and the capacity to pursue what they love, and that’s what Dancing Dreams has done for me.”
Many people in our society believe that the disabled don’t accomplish anything, which is a very common stereotype. However, Dancing Dreams has proven this stereotype wrong. Many of their dancers are successful in achieving their goals, and Dancing Dreams is an important part of their journey to that goal.
“Well, for us, we’re hoping that it’s impacted by having people learn that dance is not just for able bodied people,” Ferrara said. “Everyone can dance, they just do it in their own way.”
