PROJECT D.R.E.A.M.:
Dance Rehabilitation Education Affecting Movement
An important part of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's mission is to bridge the cultural divide of different communities. This activity can help us to bridge the gap between the communities of the abled and the disabled, fulfill our commitment to support people with disabilities and give them an active voice in the arts.
Our mission in Project D.R.E.A.M. is to develop unique approaches that enable each student at A. Harry Moore Laboratory School (AHM) through music, movement, imagination, improvisation to discover, strengthened abilities, and collaboration. We aim to document our experience and share them with educators and therapists to encourage holistic approaches in the home, school, and classroom. We also hope that through the internet and social media, we can help everyone better understand people with disabilities and their unlimited imagination.
How it all began:
In 2015, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (Company) began Project D.R.E.A.M. at AHM in New Jersey City University. With the support of NJCU President Henderson, we met with Steven Goldberg, the Principal of AHM, to initiate the implementation of dance within the students' daily learning experiences. The Company along with the faculty of the school collaborated and designed a program providing creative dance lessons for the severely disabled students so they may experience the joy of dance, both as a spectator and a performer. As part of the residency, the Company provides a special performance for the entire student body of the school so they have the opportunity to see professional dance for the first time for most students at AHM.
The structure of Project D.R.E.A.M. took shape based on the needs of the students. By listening and attending during the initial classes, the Company, with faculty input, formulated a creative movement experience based on the theme "Under the Sea" to transpose movement concepts to meet the abilities of the students. For each lesson, specialized movement exercises are taught and fundamental dance concepts are explored. By using the concept of the ocean supported by its giving and nourishing properties, the students were able to imagine the assistive influences and qualities of floating, gliding, immersing, and more. Through visualization, the students expressed the innate joy of being in water while exploring new movement vocabulary and learning how to use their body as an expressive instrument.
WHO WE ARE:
The Dance Company:
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company develops culturally rich, artistically excellent programs including public mainstage performances, educational residencies, long-term community dance workshops in the Chinese American community, and national/international touring.
The Company is engaged in an outreach initiative aiming to educate company staff with the knowledge and tools to work with people with disabilities, find unique approaches to engage the audience, as well as adapt best practice to communicate program offerings and opportunity to engage with people with disabilities. Our goal is to give the disabled the opportunity to be an active participant in the arts.
The Partner School:
The A. Harry Moore Laboratory School was opened in 1931 and offers comprehensive academic, therapeutic, pre-vocational and social programs for approximately 140 students between the ages of three and twenty-one. The students are classified as Preschool Disabled, Learning and Language Disabled, and Multiply Disabled. More than 75% of the children are eligible for free lunch and more than 90% receive free or reduced lunch.
The A. Harry Moore Laboratory School is operated under the direction of the College of Education of New Jersey City University. Our Laboratory School status within the NJCU community facilitates student participation in many cultural and educational activities. The school's unique history as a demonstration school has allowed us to develop an expertise in serving students with multiple physical, medical and cognitive disabilities.
WHY PROJECT D.R.E.A.M. MATTERS AT A. HARRY MOORE LABORATORY SCHOOL
Principal Steve Goldberg says, “the physical body of the disabled child is seen by others and themselves as something that is broken and in need of repair when compared to the body of a normal child. Disabled children struggle with trying to get their bodies to do normal activities that come easily to a normal child. The body is often seen as the enemy and people often remark that the child is trapped within their body, This dance program changes the perspective in a very powerful way. The broken body is now a work and a maker of art. The child is no longer trapped within their body but now can begin to use their body as a method and means of expression. This changes the child’s negative body image and raises their self-esteem in a meaningful way.” Click HERE for a recent letter of support from Principal Steve Goldberg to expand Project D.R.E.A.M. with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.
As the Adaptive Physical Education Teacher Lori Bierig said, "It (the final student performance) exceeded all the benchmarks we put together for these students. Some of them are beginning to move parts of their bodies that have not moved for years. Some of them are talking and smiling more. We are encouraged that each student, through music, movement, imagination, improvisation, is discovering their own abilities. They are taking dance lessons 'Just like other kids'."
The ongoing success of the project has influenced other aspects of the school environment demonstrating the support of the administration, faculty, and staff. Teachers have created interdisciplinary learning experiences within their classrooms using the theme, along with implementing the visualization practices which helps to further student adaptation of movement concepts outside of the dance class. Student work is created and performed at the end of each residency using the students’ improvised movements and the designed exercises to create a dance piece which also involves school faculty. Project D.R.E.A.M. is influenced by the school environment by adding activities targeting the maturing of work readiness skills such as communication, collaboration, leadership, and discipline.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is seeking your help to match a grant received from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for $17,500 in order to expand Project D.R.E.A.M., to deepen the learning experience, and to allow more AHM students to enjoy dance like every other child. Currently, the residency occurs two times per school year for 17 weeks each, once a week for a population of 20 students taught by one teaching artist. We would like to increase the workshop to be year-round with two teaching artists teaching two days a week involving 30-40 students. We would also like to expand the program to include a larger student performance and live music collaborations, along with extending their learning experiences by bringing them to community events and field trips involving dance.
There is a high demand for more students to participate resulting in the need for the expansion of Project D.R.E.A.M. at AHM yet we are limited in fulfilling the request due to lack of funding. The essence of the program is to give the students at AHM the ability to realize their potential, discover their voice through movement, and to experience the freedom of dance. In the long run, we envision the project inspiring the community of Jersey City as a whole by not only making dance accessible to all, but to also allow the community to see dance performed by all. We are committed to making dance accessible to people with disabilities because through movement one can develop a true sense of self and a sense of freedom. Help us help the students of A. Harry Moore Laboratory School experience the animation of dance and expand their expressivity through their bodies.
RECENT AWARD FOR PROJECT D.R.E.A.M.!
Honoring the accomplishments and integrity of the program, in July 2018 Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Project D.R.E.A.M. received the 2018 Innovator Award at the 10th Annual Excellence in Cultural Access Awards. Click HERE to watch the video of the student performance!