Expanding the Dance Community
PODCAST BY SILVA LAUKKANEN
In this episode of DanceCast, Silva interviews Michaela Knox, a DanceAbility instructor who recently initiated an inclusive dance program in Maine. Michaela looks back on her early desire to work with people who don’t identify as dancers. She discusses her time working with schoolchildren through the National Dance Institute of New Mexico, and how she eventually felt like she couldn’t effectively teach or integrate students who might be Deaf or non-verbal. Since training in DanceAbility, Michaela shares more about her budding inclusive dance program in Maine and her longer-term goals.
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Michaela Knox grew up dancing and performing in Maine and has been teaching dance since 1999. She received her BA in Dance from Dickinson College and her MA in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico. She trained and taught with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico from 2003 to 2012. During this time, she taught and directed dance outreach programs to thousands of children. In 2013, Michaela moved with her family to Durango, Colorado where she formed the original Spark program. Most recently, she has returned to Maine with her family to establish and grow an inclusive dance program in her home state. Michaela is a certified DanceAbility instructor, and she now uses this method in all her classes.
To learn more, visit www.sparkdanceprogram.org.