Family bond sparks dance class for disabled students
<p>Brooke Alley, 8, center, and Maddie Francis, 5, right center, follow their instructor Katelin Schoenbaechler as she teaches a special needs dance class at the Children's Center for Dance Education in Evansville, Ind., on Aug. 25.</p>
<p>Dale Schoenbaechler helps his sister Sarah Schoenbaechler as sister Katelin Schoenbaechler, center, leads the class of special needs students in dance exercises at the Children's Center for Dance Education in Evansville, Ind., on Aug. 25.</p>
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Katelin Schoenbaechler gathered her dance students and formed a circle on the floor of a studio at the Center for Dance Education to begin their stretches.
Stretching is an important element for any dancer, but particularly for Schoenbaechler's students. All of them have either a physical, cognitive or developmental disability that makes doing or understanding dance movements more difficult.
For the past 12 years, it's been Schoenbaechler's dream to start and teach a dance class for students with disabilities after being inspired by her sister, Sarah, who has cerebral palsy. In spring, she met her goal after the Center for Dance's board approved her idea to start the class.
The Center for Dance Education has always opened its classes to students with physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities, but the Inclusive Dance Program is the first the organization has created specifically for these students. The class is from 4:30-5:15 p.m. Tuesdays and follows the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation's semester schedule. The current class is still accepting students. New students are welcome to enroll anytime during the semester.
Schoenbaechler's love of dance started at the Center for Dance Education but grew into a desire to teach after Sarah was born. As she grew up, Sarah, now 12, would watch Schoenbaechler's performances with joy, and the two eventually started dancing together at home for fun. She wanted Sarah to have the same opportunities to express herself through dance.
"I get so emotional when I see her in my class now," Schoenbaechler said. "It's just ... I don't even have words because it's been my dream, and I get to share it with her."
Schoenbaechler attended Indiana University and majored in recreational therapy with a minor in dance so she could merge her two passions in the professional world. After getting approval for her class in the spring, she quickly began thinking up lesson plans and how to structure the class so every student could progress and have fun.
The Inclusive Dance Program hones in on very specific goals during its 45 minute class each week. This semester students are learning about stretching and arm movements. Schoenbaechler said focusing on a few specific skills during a semester gives the students more time to practice and become comfortable with the techniques that don't always come as easy to them.
"I have so many different routines and ways we could do each class because you never know how the students will react," she said. "I want them all to reach their full potential with each skill, and this is the best way to make that happen."
Three students from the organization's company joined in the class as aides for the young students to help with any moves they couldn't perform on their own or explain steps they didn't understand. Schoenbaechler's brother, Dale, 18, also joined the class to help Sarah with her movements and exercises as well. Schoenbaechler said she hopes the class will grow, possibly into multiple classes, so more students with disabilities can experience dance. Eventually she would like to have a separate recital for the class as well.
Parents and guardians peeked in through a window at the front wall of the studio, many with glistening tears on their faces as they watched their children learn to dance. As class ended, artistic director Deena Laska cooed to each student and the many students awaiting other classes at Center for Dance, "every student is beautiful here."
It was that sentiment that initially sparked Schoenbaechler's dream of creating a class for disabled students. But it's Sarah signing "thank you" and the gracious comments from her other students and their families after each class that showed that her dream is now a reality.
The Children's Center for Dance Education and D'Alto Studio of Performing Arts both offer classes for students with disabilities.
D'Alto offers Mobility Dance, a class for students with back braces, frames and wheel chairs, to experience dance.