Come Dance With Us

Creating New Opportunities for Dancers with Special Needs | Joni Newman: jnewman@orlandoballet.org (407.203.3737)

DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE

Program Objective:

Come Dance With Us! provides adaptive dance training for children with special needs in Central Florida.

Program Description:

Come Dance With Us! unites the efforts of Orlando Ballet teaching artists and medical experts to provide adapted dance classes for dancers with disabilities in Central Florida. Integral to the success of Come Dance With Us! is the incredible partnership we share with both Nemours Children’s Health Systems Florida and Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children who provide both aids in the classroom and valuable insight to our teaching artists on how to give each participant a positive experience. Current programming is available for dancers three and older. Under the Come Dance With Us! umbrella are two distinct programs:

Come Dance With Us!: Movement Mentor©: Held at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre during the spring and fall terms, this unique class provides training in creative dance, ballet, and jazz basics to children with various developmental, behavioral, and/or physical challenges. Each student is paired with a student mentor from the Orlando Ballet School’s advanced levels for a one-on-one dance experience. These student-mentor partnerships are maintained throughout the entire class. Teachers of this course are specifically trained and certified in the Movement Mentor© curriculum prior to teaching the class. Students who participate in the spring session are invited to perform in the end-of-year showcase with other students in the Orlando Ballet School.

Information about registering your child for an upcoming session of Come Dance With Us!: Movement Mentor© is available now.

Come Dance With Us!: Dance Reimagined: Orlando Ballet teaching artists teach weekly classes for participating Orange, Osceola, and Seminole County Public Schools to students in special education programs. Led by Movement Mentor© certified teachers, these 45-minute classes introduce students to ballet, jazz, and creative movement. Orlando Ballet teaching artists work closely with classroom teachers to support the overall education of each student.

Orlando Ballet Community Enrichment is currently piloting Come Dance With Us!: Heart of Hearing, a class specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing participants.

FREE WORKSHOPS

Wednesday classes are for dancers between the ages of 11-16.

Free Workshops for the Wednesday Class:

February 7th and 14th, 2024 from 3:40-4:25 PM

Register for the February 7th Workshop

Register for February 14th Workshop

Wednesday Class Schedule:

February 21st-May 1st from 3:40-4:25pm

*There will be no class on March 20th due to Spring Break.

Register for Classes

Sunday classes are for dancers between the ages of 3-10.

Free Workshops for the Sunday Class:

January 21st and 28th from 9:00-9:45 AM

Register for the January 21st Workshop

Register for the January 28th Workshop

Sunday Class Schedule:

February 4th-April 28th

*There will be no class held on March 24th, March 31st, or April 21st.

Register for Classes

COME DANCE WITH US! PARTNERS WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AT HARRIETT’S ORLANDO BALLET CENTRE:

Nemours Children’s Health

Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

COME DANCE WITH US! HAS BEEN HELD AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

Northland Church

Unlocking Children’s Potential (UCP)

COME DANCE WITH US! IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATION:

Contact:

If you have any questions about Come Dance With Us, are interested in hosting this program or would like to participate, please contact Joni Newman (jnewman@orlandoballet.org, 407-203-3737).