ArtSparks makes dancing joyful, inclusive for Akron children with disabilities

As 20 children and a few adults clapped, stomped and boogied in the Hatton elementary school gymnasium, 8-year-old Grayson Wright was preoccupied with the accompanying music coming from a keyboard.

He climbed onto the lap of the keyboardist, Marquis Brown, who was more than happy to show his new young friend a few notes.

Grayson, who has autism, had struggled for weeks with the dance class, offered at Hatton through nonprofit ArtSparks for kids with and without disabilities. He rarely went where he was supposed to go, and seemed uncomfortable moving his body, the teachers said.

On Brown's lap, staring at the keys, he was rapt. Grayson followed Brown's lead easily, mimicking his movements across the board, holding one note down and then one with each finger.

"Seeing him on the piano, I saw a different side of him," Grayson's teacher, Theresa Harrison, said. "He really came alive. That was really special."

For the leaders of ArtSparks, it was exactly the kind of moment they hope to see with their students.

"The whole purpose of the program is to help them find whatever expresses them artistically," founder and executive director Kara Stewart said.

The organization, now in its second year, brings the performing arts into Summit County schools. Its Dynamic Duos program, designed to help students with disabilities integrate better into their school environments, was one of 26 recipients of this year's Millennium Fund for Children grants, which total $49,000.

Now in its 20th year, the program started by the Akron Beacon Journal and Akron Community Foundation in 1999 distributes money to community organizations that benefit children.

The $2,000 grant will help ArtSparks continue its mission to elevate the arts in education, Stewart said. The seven schools participating in the Duos program, which pairs students with disabilities with ones without, will hold two performances in February at Firestone high school.

Stewart, who danced with the the Ohio Ballet, is a visiting assistant professor in the School of Dance, Theater and Arts Administration at the University of Akron. She started ArtSparks, she said, because she knows accessing the arts can be cost-prohibitive.

"My mom was a nurse, my dad drove a truck and they still found a way to give me the arts, even though it was a struggle," she said. "I go into some meetings sometimes, especially with funders, and I'll say, 'You know, I don't know why I was so lucky.' I really don't."

Her organization is entirely grant-funded, but all eight staff members have degrees in the arts or arts education.

Once a week, the 20 students in each class go to their school's gym during the school day to practice artistic dance moves, but also practical skills like following directions and working with a partner.

They learn routines, take turns walking or running to a spot on the floor and leaping in the air, and follow rhythmic patterns.

Artistic director Erica Piper said for some students, it's a confidence boost to feel successful at even the smallest tasks, which spills over into their academics.

"I'm so proud of you!" she tells one student for accomplishing a task, reinforcing the positivity she preaches.

The impact, Stewart said, has been significant for the students with disabilities, who are often isolated from their same-age peers.

"Sometimes the students who have disabilities have never been approached on the playground," she said. "They don't get the high five in the hallway. They don't have the hug at lunch. And now they have special friends."

For the students without disabilities, she said, the program has taught empathy and the importance of diversity.

"I know we've talked about equity and inclusion and diversity all day long," Stewart said. "And that's wonderful. But if you don't have that one on one opportunity to experience somebody who's different than you in whatever way that is. ... I don't think if you have the same impact."

Second-grader Annalise Andrick, whose partner is a boy in a wheelchair, said her favorite dance move to do with him is a do-si-do.

Annalise, who throws herself into routines with her chin up and her arms out, is always at the front of her dance class. She is about to start ballet lessons outside of school, following in the footsteps of her older sister.

She was overjoyed to share her love of dance with her classmates who might not otherwise have the chance to do-si-do.

"I think it's really fun, and I was really excited to come and dance with people who don't get to dance a lot," she said.

Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.

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