Dance Beyond Therapy

An Interview with Jasmine Mathew of Jasmine’s Beat

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT

Jasmine Mathew is the founder of Jasmine’s Beat, an organization based in Frisco, Texas, that provides adaptive dance classes for people of all abilities and ages. Jasmine is a recreational therapist with a background in Bollywood and Bharatanatyam who found there weren’t local opportunities for her clients to dance. Here, she shares how she created Jasmine’s Beat to give people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to dance. Several participants also share how they got involved and highlights of their experience.

Photos courtesy Jasmine’s Beat.

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Can you first tell me a little about yourself?

I have a recreational therapy degree and background. I’ve worked with people with various disabilities and various age groups for the past 24 years. I’ve always taught dance on the side. My background is Bollywood and classical Indian dance.

I worked with a dance academy in New Jersey with neuro-atypical teens and youth. I attempted to work with students with disabilities in New York. I was afraid to call it “dance for people with disabilities” specifically, so I called it “Dance for All.” I don’t think it reached the populations I was trying to work with. Then I moved to Texas and started working in home health.

What was the impetus for Jasmine’s Beat? How did it get started?

A lot of my clients were asking me, “Since you teach dance on the side, do you know of any dance studio that teaches students with disabilities year-around?” I did some research and realized there wasn’t anything year-around that catered to all needs, versus a specific disability population. It started from there.

I worked with a preschool dance company when I first came to Texas and trained with them in introductory jazz and ballet. I used that information when I started Jasmine’s Beat. I also worked with other professionals like occupation therapists. We joined forces and started putting together classes and contracting with studios, schools, and hospitals in the area. I still work in home health and with various disability populations. I also teach dance classes and provide workshops and continuing education for other therapists. Jasmine’s Beat started in 2018.

How is the program organized?

Classes are offered once a week. We partner with different locations because I know from working with clients that they have a lot of therapies going on alongside school, so it’s hard for them to make a long drive for something they might consider a leisure pursuit, even though there are so many therapeutic benefits to dancing. I decided to partner with different organizations in different locations to reach more people. We partner with dance studios, schools, hospitals, and camps, and we offer virtual classes too. We had someone who was medically compromised, so we started online with them for almost a full year, and when we got approval from their physician to join a group setting, they joined us in person and even performed in the recital. I was happy to provide it. We try to adapt to whatever situation someone is in because we don’t want there to be an obstacle to dancing.

We have about eight teachers. Some of them assist others, some run classes, some are specific to a style. Going into the fall, we have eight classes a week catering to different populations. Some are for youth, some are for teens and adults.

We also have chair dance for seniors at a senior center. That has grown from two students to 30 students, and they requested a second class. In general, we try to keep classes low in terms of student to teacher ratio because of the attention students might need. We have five students per teacher, and if there are more than five, we have volunteers and assistants.

I have an instructor who teaches ASL hip hop, we have a class called adaptive tap, and I can teach BollyX (it’s kind of like Zumba but with Bollywood music) and BollyX low impact. Most of our classes are an adapted fusion. We cater to the students and what they want; sometimes we’ll do a little hip hop and jazz mixed with ballet.

We have an annual performance at the end of the year. We are also part of the recitals at the local dance studios where we rent space. We also offer performance opportunities in the community, like at festivals. There’s an adaptive expo every December we’re a part of.

How do you make the dance classes accessible?

I took some time out to go to Austin to take a workshop from AXIS Dance Company and learned how to adapt choreography. Sometimes we might have a routine planned for our class, but sometimes we have to adapt. We might have a day where we listen to music and sit. We don’t penalize the students for not participating. No matter what we offer – warmups, ice breaker games, choreography, or stretching – the goal is to provide students an opportunity to increase endurance and physical mobility, as well as advocate for themselves and their disability, so they are educating each other as well as advocating for themselves. They have control over choosing music and games. It’s their safe space. Our classes are by developmental age, not by actual age. We work on cognitive skills like memory and neurofeedback through movement. Every which way, we try to see what adjustments and adaptions we can make.

I have a student in a wheelchair who is able to push herself but not as fast as the rest of the group, so in choreography she does one turn instead of two so it matches up with directionality and timing. I have another student who is visually impaired, so she has someone stand behind her and tell her which way she is facing, if she needs to straighten her arm, or step back. Those bits of assistance make a huge difference and make the students feel more independent.

Who mostly participates in your programming?

A little bit of everybody. I try not to have an instance where we can’t make our classes available. There should be no reason why someone can’t be part of a dance class. We have students who are nonverbal, blind, Deaf, people who use wheelchairs, people who use canes, people with limited mobility, people in the hospital setting, children, adults, seniors… a little bit of everybody. I have about 50 students enrolled in the classes, and the classes are small, usually one to five students in a class.

I also work with an adaptive theater troupe that works with ages eight through adults. That is my biggest group; there are about 200 people in the troupe, and I might have a group as large as 30 people when I work with them.

What is the culture around disability like in Frisco, Texas? Are there other programs like yours in the area?

I think it’s getting better. Frisco has grown exponentially in the 10 years that I’ve been here. I think the further you get from the city, the more awareness needs to be brought into the community. We’re about 30 minutes north of Dallas. Dallas is pretty good over all but there isn’t a year-round dance accessible program. There is an occupational therapist who started her own dance program outside of Dallas, so we’re not the only ones, but it’s limited to location. The other thing that makes us different is we cater to all age groups and populations. It is getting better but the need for more awareness, grants, and funding continues.

What’s next for Jasmine’s Beat? Is there a project or focus you’d like to share more about?

We just had a showcase, and this was the first time the public could come for free and just come and root for the students. It was neat that a recreation center provided that.

The next big thing would be trying to start a class with BollyX or BollyX low impact and reach the in-between crew in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. We don’t want that population to get lost.

Any other thoughts?

I’m a recreational therapist by trade. Some people don’t realize that if you are approved for recreational therapy services, you can get coverage to take one of my dance classes.

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Jasmine’s Beat Participants:

How did you get involved with Jasmine’s Beat?

Celeste (7) and Rachel (mom): Through our PT. I mentioned we were looking for a dance class. He recommended Jasmine. I reached out back in January, and she started in February. She’s loved it ever since.

Callahan (8) and Nancy (grandmother): Cal’s mother danced all the way through college. His mom is best friends and roommates with the studio owner that Jasmine’s Beat came to in Murphy. Her best friend told her about the class. She knew that Cal’s favorite thing is music. It’s the one thing that he loves. It’s the one thing that relaxes him and calms him and excites him. When your child is different, it’s hard to find something to get them out of the house, get them with other kids, enjoy themselves, have fun, and where the whole family can come.

McKenna (6) and Melissa (mom): When McKenna first asked to take dance lessons, I began my search for inclusive dance. I didn’t realize that there were so many rules in ballet, from color coded leotards to hair. Finally, my search showed Jasmine’s Beat. From the first class, Mckenna was all in and ready to dance. Dance is supposed to be expressive and emotional but unfortunately many studios are not inclusive of all abilities. It is refreshing to see all the dancers having fun and dancing together and the bonds that form.

Devon (adult): I first met Jasmine while rehearsing for a musical performance at North Texas Performing Arts Center. Jasmine was the choreographer and director. I love to dance so she told me about Jasmine’s Beat. I told my mom about it and we signed up for a class.

Is there a moment from your time at Jasmine’s Beat that stands out?

Celeste (7) and Rachel (mom): She makes such great friends. She likes to be silly and have fun. She really liked the recital. She looked forward to it for months. She loved being on the stage.

Callahan (8) and Nancy (grandmother): His class was small; there were three boys. They really included him, loved him, and welcomed him. In the recital, he had a costume that accommodated his wheelchair. He was onstage and center, and he shined like all the other children. He had his moment, and it was beautiful. I’ve had two children who have danced their entire lives, and to know this is something my grandson can do too is amazing.

McKenna (6) and Melissa (mom): My favorite part of Jasmine’s Beat is the end of the year recital. These dancers have practiced their performance week after week. To see all the dancers under the spotlight expressing themselves through dance onstage is emotional for the dancers and the audience. It is powerful to show the world that dance is valid under any circumstance or ability.

Devon (adult): I like learning new things. Jasmine allows me to show her some dance moves that I think would work with the music and also work for the other students in my class. Jasmine is kind and patient and makes me laugh.

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To learn more about Jasmine’s Beat, visit jasminesbeat.com.

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