Adaptive Dance provides an opportunity for children and adults with special needs to explore and experience the joy of movement and music with a supportive and creative team. Classes are adapted and structured to match the strengths and abilities of dancers. Dancers will learn at their own pace, have fun, and build both dance and life skills.
Marie Steffen (Dance Studio Owner and Teacher) has been wanting to start this program for years, waiting for the right time, staff and facility. That time has come!!
Steffen Dance offers 2 Adaptive Dance classes taught by Hilary Walsh. Classes will be supported by Marie Steffen and a team of dedicated volunteers. Classes will take place at Steffen Dance Studio – 882 Topsail Road, which is fully accessible.
CBC News produced an article and video about the program. Please see the VIDEO
Classes Available:
Friday 5:15-6:00PM Creative Inclusive Dance for Children 5-9 years of age
A 45 min class to introduce dancers to the foundations of dance. The schedule within classes will be similar each week, so dancers will know what to expect. A mixture of ballet technique exercises, fun jazz movements, and free style will be taught to encourage dancers to explore different kinds of movement. Dancers will work to develop coordination, rhythmicity, confidence, and creativity, while developing social skills with others.
Friday 6:15-7:15PM Dance for People with Down Syndrome 14-30+ years of age
Keep your young adult movin’ and groovin’ while having fun with others!! Learn all styles of dance with your friends. Classes will be an hour, and consist of one style of dance. We will change the style monthly to fully explore all kinds of dance. Dance styles covered include: ballet, modern, latin, hip hop, broadway, jazz and partner dance technique. Dancers will work to develop coordination, confidence, and friendships with other, while having fun with others through dance!
Hilary Walsh
Hilary is a multidiscipline artist and health professional who sees the value of the arts within healthcare. She began her journey as a dance artist and teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Always academic, her love of dance drew her to study kinesiology as it merged her passion of dance with science. Feeling pulled towards healthcare, Hilary pursued a master’s in public health focusing on population and community health.
Seeing the benefit of movement and dance for health, her goal has been to integrate dance into her practice as a health care practitioner. Today Hilary a registered occupational therapist, and holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto. She is currently pursuing Alternate Route training in Dance Movement Therapy at the National Centre for Dance Therapy of Les Grands Ballet in Montreal. With this training, she is learning to use dance and movement within a psychotherapeutic practice to help people recover from trauma, anxiety, depression, and chronic illnesses. She is currently supervised by Joanabbey Sacks (BC-DMT), dance movement therapist and part-time faculty in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Concordia University.
For further information on services, please check out her private practice Ebb Movement & Health https://www.ebbmovementandhealth.com.