Mantua – Achieve Dance Studio, located at 4689 E High St in Mantua, is in its sophomore season of operation. Opened fall of 2017 by Teresa Hawkins and her daughters, Emily and Isabel Hawkins, they are striving to offer affordable, fun, and inclusive dance classes for all ages. From the beginning, Teresa knew she wanted to allow children with disabilities to join in and experience the many benefits of dance. Increased coordination, rhythm, balance, and direction following are skills all children need to develop as they grow, and these can be enhanced during dance classes. However, for children with disabilities, such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy, participating in dance or other extracurricular activities is not as simple as signing up. Their unique set of challenges require staff who are familiar with their conditions and can provide necessary adaptations to allow them to fully participate.
Teresa has been an Occupational Therapist (OT) since 2006 and has been involved in the dance world since she was a young girl. OT’s are uniquely qualified to help people fully participate in activities that are meaningful to them. They foster self-care, independence, engagement, and productivity in a variety of settings, including schools, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and mental health care facilities. People of all ages can receive occupational therapy to help them improve skills like sequencing, problem-solving, dexterity, and proprioception (awareness of the position of one’s body in space). OT’s enable those with disabilities or other challenges to function at their highest level at home, school, work, or in the community. By encouraging these children to enroll in dance class, the Hawkins family is promoting their engagement and inclusion in the community.
Achieve Dance Studio offers instruction in things like ballet, jazz, and hip-hop and they currently have 40 children enrolled in classes. Children with disabilities are able to attend free of charge, with 9 students enrolled this year. They are hoping to continue increasing those numbers in the coming years. Dance class gives the children an opportunity to interact with their peers in a fun setting outside of school, which is where they would normally do most, if not all, of their socializing. It is exposing them to new experiences and allowing them to work as a team to learn a dance to perform at the annual recital. This event is free and open to the public and will be held at 2 pm on May 19th at Hayden Auditorium in Hiram. If you would like more information about Achieve Dance Studio, classes offered, or to sign up check out their website, www.achievedancemantua.com or their Facebook page, Achieve Dance Studio. You can also contact them directly at 330-357-1066 or achievedancemantua@gmail.com.
Abbey Lindemeyer, is a student at the University of Findlay Masters of Occupational Therapy, class of 2021.
