1. T
he Center for Contemporary Dance in Winter
Park is not only a place for dancers to become
proficient in their craft; it is also a saving grace for
special needs students seeking to enhance life skills and
become a part of a team.
The face behind the inspiring team is instructor
Dario J. Moore, a Rollins College graduate who has
been dancing since he was 17. He explains that dance
helps him problem solve, and now he is passing on his
education to his hardworking students.
Every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Moore enters the class
full of joy. The students, who have Down syndrome, au-
tism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy, radiate their
desire to learn and improve their skills. Their faces light
up as he enters the room and warmly greets each indi-
vidual. “The energy in this room is really high — so let’s
use it and dance,” he says to his eager students.
An outcome of students putting their whole heart
into the class, some have improved coordination skills
enough to secure employment. Moore also uses the
dance classes to teach general motor skills, memoriza-
tion, confidence, disciplinary skills, strength and balance
for practical purposes in life. By practicing exercises and
movements, the students have the opportunity to chal-
lenge themselves to strengthen their range of motion.
They can break down those mental walls of “I can’t” and
turn them into “I can, and I have.”
Farida Roszak, the parent to one of Moore’s stu-
dents, says, “Dario encourages his students to express
their creativity by creating their own moves and danc-
es. Also, he allows students to dance in different ways
and at different levels of difficulty depending on their
individual needs and abilities. People with disabili-
ties often possess creative gifts that they aren’t able to
express until they are put in the right environment
and these classes give the perfect place to explore their
potential gifts.”
Moore explains that we function in their world,
which is not much different than ours, but they’re fight-
ing hard to fit in with the surrounding population.
Through his classes, he teaches his students that they are
part of a team. “They feel a sense of belonging because
they feel someone reaching to them and bringing them
along, although they may appear to behave and move
in a way that’s different,” Moore says. He believes that
dance changes the world, because it teaches people to
embrace one another.
Moore believes that dance can change the world be-
cause its underlying lesson is the importance of embrac-
ing one another. “My compassion level has just soared.
For me, my spiritual walk in life has deepened thanks to
the people in that class,” he says. “I understand my con-
nection to something bigger in life thanks to the students.
They teach me joy, understanding and patience even in
the simplest things. They teach me how to be quiet with
all the noise that’s going on.”
By Katrina Poggio
YOUR+LOCAL<
For more information about The Center for Contemporary
Dance and its classes for special needs students, visit our
website at CentralFloridaLifestyle.com.
Dario J. Moore
encourages his
students to express
their creative side.
Move
& Shake
Dance classes led by Dario J. Moore
help students with special needs feel
like part of a team.
KatrinaPoggio
www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com 41
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