Moving Into Dance (MID) showcased their annual Enable Through Dance project which works with learners from special needs schools
About 180 young people with disabilities took centre stage at this year's Moving Into Dance (MID) Enable Through Dance performance at the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Arts Centre this week.
The Enable Through Dance project, established in 2016, has seen the company work with learners from special needs schools around Johannesburg, exposing them to dance with the aim of helping develop a sense of confidence through artistic movement.
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Moving Into Dance, based in Newtown, was established in 1978 by Sylvia Glasser. As one of only a few mixed-race dance groups at the time, it used dance as cultural resistance against the apartheid regime.
MID's work with learners with various forms of disabilities changes the way people think about dance, says MID CEO Nadia Virasamy. "When you think of traditional dance it's all about perfect movements and perfect bodies. These kids forced us to shift our thinking. It's been such a joy working with these kids who have taught us so much."
The company's dance facilitators have also undergone special training to properly teach children with special needs like deafness, blindness, autism and down syndrome.
"The kids just love it. You can see the joy on their faces when they get to perform in front of a packed audience. We don't always get funding for this project, but it's part of our social responsibility. We do it because we see the need, we see the importance and it brings us great joy," says Virasamy.
Lesley Moseme, a teacher at The Don Mattera School for learners with special educational needs, said: "This program actually boosts our children's self-esteem, their confidence. It gives them a sense of belonging and shows them that there are people who care and love them. Even our parents are very supportive of the project because they see the difference it is making in their children's lives."
