|
|
|
ARC Industries' Students Come to Campus to DanceFrom post-modern movement studies to a fun "dinosaur disco," a group of local residents—all living with disabilities—creates dances each week at the OSU Department of Dance. The 15 or so adults, who are involved with the Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities' association called ARC Industries, take a bus to campus once a week to attend dance class. The project is the brainchild of MFA dance student Peter Richards and professor David Covey; classes are conducted by the pair along with undergraduate dance students at the university. "This is an amazing activity," says Covey. "It has increased these individuals' mobility levels, their self value and their social skills. They truly enjoy it." Adds Richards, "They have so much to teach us as well. This is a life-affirming activity for all involved." Jackie Boyle, art director at ARC Industries, agrees. "Generally there are a lot of obstacles with 'inclusion' in the community for adults with disabilities, so this is a great learning experience and a huge self-esteem booster for these guys," she says. "The people at OSU work with our dancers as peers, and totally respect them, which gives this population a sense of freedom that you can't describe." Though Richards graduates this spring, Covey says the Department of Dance is committed to making the ARC project an ongoing outreach program. "It's become a part of their lives," he says. |
 JuliaAnna Facelli leads an exercise with scarves Facelli and an ARC Industries student |
|||
 |
|
|||
