Sharing the Dances with Special Needs Students
by Penny Xerri

One of the delights of working with Special Needs students is the immediacy of their response; if excited, they may jump up and down; if tired, sit down; if pleased with themselves they often want to acknowledge that with a round of applause. Perhaps there is a lesson in Zen here. Another pleasure for me is their willingness to experiment, both with sound and movement, no matter how profound their disabilities. (One of our students has virtually no sight, another has speech that is virtually unintelligible and the majority may exhibit obsessive behaviour patterns, such as repetitive speech and movements, if in any way upset.)

Responding to the students' needs and difficulties in the dances requires that the "able-bodied" offer a variety of support and improvised adaptations. I am fortunate in being supported not only by an accompanist, Ian Salmond, but also by Bill Thompson, a volunteer tutor. Both of these provide a strong male presence and constructive feedback. Additionally, the college in which I work provides "carers" for the students. These carers provide not only student support but exhibit considerable enthusiasm and commitment to the dances.

This level of support makes it feasible to bring the essence of the dances, whilst being very pragmatic with adaptations. These range from simplifying steps, such as substituting a straightforward walk for sidesteps, to including short periods of sitting whilst vocally rehearsing the familiar dances, or learning new ones, as our students tend to tire more quickly than their able-bodied counterparts. On a physical level, we sometimes support the hands of students, whilst adopting gestures or making turns, always being mindful not to "invade". Challenges we are still working with include keeping the momentum of the dance (there is a tendency for the students to come to a halt after each "round") and to hold the silence on completion of each dance beyond a few moments.

Our repertoire includes the following dances:

• My Lord is a rock
• Rocka-my-soul
• I woke up this morning with the sun in my heart
• Hey Ya Na Na
• Beauty Way Dance
• We circle around
• Shabat shalom
• Haida
• Shalom aleichem
• Zoroastrian Sun dance
• Zoroastrian Elements dance
• Gopala
• Heart Sutra
• Introductory Bismillah

Additionally we have experimented with the elements walks and the Sun and Moon walks. Sometimes we commence the sessions by using percussion instruments to establish rhythm, prior to a walk or dance. If students are too tired to dance, they appreciate playing percussion instruments to accompany the dancers.

Benefits to the students, observed both during group sessions and in discussion with carers, are manifold. As the students generally lead a fairly sedentary life, the exercise of dancing is itself beneficial, working on the cardio-vascular system and increasing their stamina. I have seen an improvement in their ability to co-ordinate their movements, though the co-ordination ofchanting and dancing still poses a number of challenges! Being wanted and needed in the circle is incredibly important to the students; it enhances their feeling of self-esteem and means they cannot easily opt out. One of our students, Christopher, an amiable middle-aged man, generally has a tendency to be apathetic, but responds well to request for him to continue dancing. The students are generally very responsive to music : its uplifting effects encourage them to forget, at least temporarily, some of their obsessive fears and behaviours. For instance, Elizabeth initially rocked virtually constantly in her chair, biting her nails, appearing extremely anxious and clinging to her carer. Now she participates in the majority of the dances and is even prepared to attempt progressive partner dances. Another student, David, would retreat to the corner of the room at the conclusion of each dance, fiddling with his possessions. He now no longer seems to need that form of security and, with encouragement, stays with the group.

Our use of "foreign" words does not seem to be disconcerting to our students; rather the fact that everybody, including carers, are learning unfamiliar words has a bonding effect on the group. Introducing various traditions and languages to the group seems to be an appropriate way of extending their horizons, as disabilities and finance limit opportunities to travel. It has been pleasing to see the improvement in memorising words and music (dance movements are more problematic) and the students' obvious enjoyment in that. We include the normal varying of tempo and volume, where appropriate, though have not yet worked on the breath. I feel particularly pleased that we also work with men/women only as I feel it reinforces gender identity. The relative stability of the group (attendance is good) and increased familiarity has created a greater sense of cohesion within the group. Students seem to find the class stimulating and generally leave in a very positive mood, though it is perhaps too soon to know whether the dances lead to any greater sense of awakening or healing or to a greater flexibility in the way they approach other situations.

I should like to acknowledge the considerable support of the Adult College, Lancaster, and in particular, Christine Hatley, the coordinator of this area of work.