All of the students feel “special,” none of them feel “different.”
In the Arts Studio Academy ballet school in Egypt, students of all abilities dance together.
The teachers there have a mission to make ballet inclusive to children with and without special needs.
The owner of the studio says in the two years they have run inclusive classes, their dancers have “excelled and reached very high levels.”
A teacher at the Arts Studio Academy explains where the idea came from, telling reporters “I got the idea when my colleague's sister with disabilities wanted to dance ballet but there were no available studios for her. So, I started to train girls with disabilities in ballet, and when they learn, I integrate them with others who don’t have disabilities.”
The girls in the class are learning the classic ballet arm positions, and how to point their toes.
The studio's owner believes integrating girls with disabilities into classes with other girls who are training to be ballerinas is beneficial for all her young dancers.
And while all of the students feel “special,” none of them feel “different.”
Related Stories
