Tully: In dance, children with Down syndrome thrive

Matthew Tully

They've come a long way. Their parents say it, and their instructors say it. In just a few months, they've come a long way. You can see it on the dance floor.

“Stretch your arms out,” Mónica Muñoz told the students on a recent Saturday. “Stretch them out. Way, way out.”

The six students, all with Down syndrome, stretched their arms out. Way out. And then they danced sideways across the floor, their reflections bouncing off the mirrored walls all around them. Later, they formed a circle and took turns performing improvised dances. One child hesitated at one point, and a classmate rushed to help.

“You know what I like about that?” Michael Johnson asked the students. “I like that Taylor came in to help her friend.”

The students were participating in a new dance program for children with Down syndrome that Johnson spent two years planning. The founder of Kids Dance Outreach, a wonderful nonprofit that offers high-quality dance classes to low-income children, Johnson created this spinoff program in hopes of offering children with Down syndrome something unique and helpful.

“There are so many children that are left out of these quality arts programs and we want to give them these experiences,” he said. “This is what we are about. This is it.”

A Butler University graduate and former member of the Boston Ballet, Johnson modeled Kids Dance Outreach and this new class after a program in Boston. The goal is to not only offer children access to high-level dance instructors and programs but also to instill in them traits such as discipline, teamwork and grit.

On the recent Saturday, the students lined up quietly at the beginning of class and walked to the front of the room, listening intently as Muñoz talked them through a series of warm-up moves. This was a vast improvement from the first weeks of class, when most students struggled to listen and focus, and it was a reminder of why it is so beneficial.

“They work miracles,” a parent named Carole Guess told me. “Seriously. Just miracles. They hold their undivided attention for the whole hour. That alone is a miracle. I told them I need them to come home with me.”

Her son, 10-year-old Evan, was born prematurely, weighing just two pounds, but now has few secondary health problems. He smiled and nodded as his mom told me they do martial arts together and that he loves dancing and music. Dance, she said, is critical for children with Down syndrome, as it helps with balance and socialization, as well as with self-expression and patience.

“If nothing else,” she said, “it's a good workout, and that is important.”

Annie Smiley, program coordinator with Down Syndrome Indiana, said programs like this one are indeed critical to ensuring that children remain active and avoid health risks that impact children with Down syndrome at higher rates. And, she said, there is an important side benefit, as it creates networking opportunities for their families.

“Our goal is inclusion,” Smiley said. “But it is also important that they have opportunities to spend time together and build that community.”

Since forming KDO three years ago, Johnson has built relationships with Indianapolis Public Schools and recently won a $30,000 grant from the Department of Child Services. But funding has come slow, very slow, and none has come in support of the Down syndrome program, which kicked off in March and now has a waiting list.

It’s easy to see why that waiting list exists.

“They've learned their dance routines so fast,” Gale Bellamy, another parent, told me. “They really connect with the teachers.”

Her 14-year-old daughter Alexis bounced in her seat before class as she told me in short sentences about her love of the dance show “Bring It.” Born with a heart defect, she is outgoing and, her mom said, “pretty healthy.” She smiles a lot and loves to dance. Her mom said the program is a treasure for families seeking to give their children the experiences so many others have.

Midway through the one-hour class, Alexis and the other students tapped their feet and clapped along with a drummer who played a bongo in the corner of the room. They were learning, Johnson said, but they also were teaching the rest of us a lesson.

It’s a simple one.

“They can excel when they are given the right tools,” he said. “And that's really no different than with all the other kids we serve. If they are given the right tools and the right opportunities, they can accomplish great things.”

And they are.

You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or on Twitter: @matthewltully.

If you would like help:Kids Dance Outreach needs both volunteers and financial support. For more information, or to contribute, please contact KDO at http://kidsdanceoutreach.org or 317-662-4555. Information is also available there for families who would like to participate.