danceability n. to empower through movement Danceability is a dance and creative movement program for children and adults in the Western New York area with special needs utilizing dance and movement to empower students while promoting physical, social, and emotional wellness in a family-focused, peaceful environment. August 2015 8th Annual Performances Recap Danceability held its 8th Annual performances on Saturday May 9, 2015 at Cleveland Hill High School. Hosted by Channel 2 s Claudine Ewing & Melissa Holmes, the shows featured over 125 incredible dancers and 90 amazing volunteers. Class by class these dancers took to the stage, some for their first time and some for their 8th time. Besides the palpable excitement of the dancers, one of the most incredible things about a danceability performance is the response of the audience. It truly is an interactive experience with the audience clapping and cheering for the dancers. The audience stays until the very end because they want to see each and every number. Danceability dancers are boys & girls, men & women. They are challenged with special needs such as Down syndrome, autism, ADHD, learning disorders, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders and much more, but none of that matters on show day. Each dancer is a star as they take to the stage. This year s performances featured pieces like Peppermint Twist, Uptown Funk, Chim Chim Cheree, Alien Invasion and so many more. Be sure to put next year s show on your calendar for Saturday, May 7th 2016! Seeking Board Members Are you passionate about danceability? Do you have connections within the Buffalo Arts Community? Do you have a particular connection to the special needs population? You may be who we are looking for. Danceability is currently seeking board members who are connected in the Buffalo community and would like to spread the mission of danceabilty. We especially want to connect with those who work in the following fields: Performing Arts, Law, Medicine, Human Resources or Corporate Business. 2ND Annual Sparks Awards: Rising Star In May, danceability was honored to receive the Rising Star Spark Award presented by the Arts Service Initiative of Western New York. The gala event brought together hundreds from the arts community to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations making a difference in the arts in our community. The Rising Star award honors a relatively new organization, someone new in a position or organization, or a group. Danceability was thrilled to be recognized. It was a great night to connect with so many wonderful artists & organizations contributing to the arts community in WNY. STAY IN TOUCH! www.danceabilityinc.com
Student Spotlight : Sarah Bojanowski It s time for another student spotlight! This time, we are featuring dancer Sarah! Sarah has been dancing for fifteen years and in addition to dance classes at danceability, Sarah also participates in our Fitness Frenzy and summer dance. Sarah s personality shines though every week when she walks in the studio. It s hard not to have a smile on your face when you are with her, whether just passing by or dancing next to her in class. Mrs. Christine D. says Sarah is so enthusiastic about dance. She always starts class with a Hello Miss Christine! and very big smile. She works extremely hard at each step I teach. Every week we warm up to Taylor Swift s Shake it Off and Sarah has the best shake. She does everything with a smile, which of course makes everyone else in the room smile. She has such a contagious personality making Mondays at 5:15 very fun! Outside of dance Sarah enjoys her volunteer activities through her day hab program and absolutely loves Halloween. She loves to dress up like a witch every year. Sarah s parents have seen Sarah grow throughout her time at danceability and are thrilled that she has HER time to shine. Her mom said, Danceability gives an individual with special needs a chance to learn and have fun with others while moving to music. We all enjoy a moment to shine and whether it s at the annual performances or just during a class, each student that has that chance to be successful! Volunteer Spotlight : D Anne Frosell D Anne Frosell has been a volunteer since 2013 and has worked with three of our dancers, Sejal, Molly & Roger on Tuesday nights. Fun fact about D Anne: She is a sock collector and currently has over 100 pairs unmatched. She usually sports different ones during her classes, which are always a fave among the dancers and volunteers. D Anne is an amazing volunteer because she takes the time to really connect with her dancers. She uses her intuition and her caring nature to make sure that her dancers have a fun and safe dance experience. She is truly a huge asset to the danceability family! We asked D'Anne about her volunteer experience. Here s what she had to say. Why did you decide to volunteer at danceability? I first heard about danceability through my summer job at Erie 1 Boces and immediately looked into volunteering. I had danced for ten years and thought it sounded like a combo of my two passions: working with people with special needs, and maintaining health and a job through dancing. I even remember when I was in 6th grade we had to write down our dream jobs and the two things that I wanted for my future jobs was to be a Special Ed teacher and a dance teacher. So this is a perfect way to live out those dream jobs! What is your favorite part of class? At least in all three of my classes, I see my dancers laugh. Sometimes they laugh continuously, sometimes they only let out a small giggle with a sly smile, but they have laughed every single class this year. And seeing that dancing makes them smile like that, it makes volunteering to help them dance totally worth it and its truly a blessing. What would you tell a potential volunteer? If you are nervous to commit, observe a class first. It s a great way to see where you d be most comfortable in the danceability family. Share a class story This past summer while I was volunteering in class with Miss Robin, she put on the song, Let it Go for the girls in the class to do a free dance to with scarves. Immediately, one girl began singing and pretty soon, the whole room full of girls was singing. I had to fight back tears the entire song because when you work with people with special needs they empower you as much as you empower them.
Farewells As a new season at danceability fast approaches, I have such mixed emotions as my role transitions from instructor to simply being a parent. These past 8 years have been an ever present gift that I was blessed to open each and every day spent with staff, volunteers, families and especially my students. The life lessons I have learned from all of you are countless. It has been an honor to be part of the initial vision Christine and Robin had for danceability, and even more enlightening to watch it evolve into the amazing program that it is today serving so many and making a difference in our community. Thank you cannot begin to express my gratitude to all, and I look forward to staying connected as my daughter Jordan continues to reap the benefits of all the goodness found at danceability. ~Miss Colleen VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteer Open House/ Placement Tuesday 9/1 & Thursday 9/3 3pm-5pm Danceability would not be what it is today without our volunteers. This year, we ask that returning & new interested volunteers come to our placement days to discuss class assignments. *One hour a week from September - May. *Must be at least 16 *No dance experience needed Evening Office Volunteer Danceability is also looking for a few evening office volunteers to help with phone calls and family/staff communication *Monday Thursday, from 4:00-7:30 p.m. any days & times would be very much appreciated. It is with great sadness that I must announce that I will not be returning to danceability this Fall. My family is moving to Philadelphia, an exciting opportunity, but filled with many emotions as we say goodbye to so many people here in Buffalo. So now is my chance to say goodbye to all of you. The past five years with danceability has taught me so much about strength, perseverance, love and levity in life. I know that I will leave my time here having learned a great deal about myself. My goals for each class that I teach are to instill love and confidence in every dancer. Remember to let loose and be silly, be gracious and loving and observe and listen; these are not only excellent reminders for dance class, but for life as well. Much love to all my danceability family, ~Miss Amanda danceability s 1st Annual Golf Tournament On June 1, 2015 danceability held its 1 st annual golf tournament at Chestnut Hill Country Club in Darien, NY. While the weather was less than ideal, that couldn t dampen the spirit of the golfers attending the event. Over 100 golfers came out to support danceability. Overall, the day was a tremendous success, raising over $10,000 to support the danceability scholarship fund and studio programming. A big thank you goes out to the Golf Committee that worked for several months making this event a reality & all the volunteers that helped to make tournament day a tremendous success. The committee was comprised of Kylie Bett, Terry Regan, Dave Zolnowski, Jim Shaw, Darrell Slisz and John Slisz. The 2 nd annual danceability golf tournament is scheduled to once again be held at Chestnut Hill Country Club on June 13 th 2016, so save the date!!! A special thank you goes out to all our Corporate Sponsors of the tournament. Gold sponsors - Erie Community College and Employee Resources Inc. Silver sponsors - InstyPrints, the NFADA and WNY Addition Recovery Bronze sponsors WGRZ and CNC Technical Solutions Tee sponsors Towne Ford Lincoln, UAW Local 774, Boston Valley Terra Cotta, UAW Local 897, Transitown Jeep Dodge Chrysler Ram, The Walkowiak Family and Bases Loaded Sports Collectibles
What s Happening this Year @ danceability Danceability is gearing up for an exciting 2015-16 season. There is a lot planned for our dancers and for their families & friends. We hope you will consider joining us! Stay tuned for more specific information as dates get closer September - Danceability will be featured in Buffalo Magazine - Sept 26 Performing at Step Up for Down Syndrome October -Visit from NYS Assemblywoman, Angela Wozniak November - November 15th Dinner Night Out is now a BRUNCH!! - Competing in Crowdrise s Holiday Giving Challenge kicking off on Giving Tuesday February - Danceabilty s 1st ever Bowlathon - Robin & Christine will be featured on WNED s Making a Difference TV Special May - Saturday May 7th 9th Annual Performances June - Monday June 13th - 2nd Annual Golf Tournament Danceability is currently looking for a donation of gift baskets for our November 15th event. Donations can be dropped off at the studio anytime before November 1st. Donations are tax deductible!
Get Involved at danceability volunteer Classroom volunteers - Pair up with one of our dancers for the year and help them succeed Event volunteers - Help out at our special events Committee volunteers - attend meetings to help plan and execute fundraisers & special events Board of Directors - looking for motivated community members - especially law, marketing, finance, insurance or human resource professionals donate Make a one-time or recurring donation Designate United Way contributions to danceability Use Crowdrise,GoodSearch, AmazonSmile and designate danceabilty as your charity Purchase a piece from the Embrace The Difference line at Reeds Jenss Donate a scholarship Suggest danceability as a recipient of your office fundraising dollars (dress down days, change jars, etc ) attend Fundraisers - check out our website for dates/times Annual Performances - held annually in early May, stay tuned for details Observe a class - set up a time to see our classes in action Danceability 3859 Union Rd Ste 600 Cheektowaga, NY 14225 716-651-0094 danceability2007@gmail.com danceability07@yahoo.com connect Follow us on social media - Facebook & Twitter Sign up for our e-newsletter Follow our new blog at www.danceabilitywny.wordpress.com Write a testimonial about your experience
Fall Open House/Registration *Wednesday August 26th 5:00-8:00pm *Thursday August 27th 5:00-8:00pm All Parents/ Staff must attend registration with new dancers - Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Creative Movement, Fitness & much more - Afternoons and evenings; runs September through May - End of the year performance (optional for every student) - Call to schedule your danceability Birthday Party Classes start September 21st! SCHOLARSHIPS Available! Applications available at registration or on our website. Registration & Tuition Forms can be found online at www.danceabilityinc.com Call 716-651-0094 for more information. Registration will be at our studio: 3859 Union Road, Suite 600, Cheektowaga, NY 14225. danceability 3859 Union Road Suite 600 Cheektowaga, NY 14225