South Africa: dance program empowers people with disabilities
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Moving Into Dance, a non-profit company in Johannesburg, South Africa, celebrated ten years of its Enable Through Dance program by hosting a performance featuring learners with disabilities and professional dancers.
The program, founded in 2016, currently works with over 160 learners from schools and organizations across Johannesburg, using dance to foster creative expression and build self-esteem. Originally established in 1978 by Sylvia Glasser, Moving Into Dance began as a mixed-race dance group using art as resistance against apartheid.
The anniversary performance at the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre was free and open to the public. Nadia Virasamy, CEO of Moving Into Dance, explained the program required the organization to re-evaluate its understanding of dance and disability, shifting focus to inclusivity rather than physical ability. The program extends beyond teaching dance steps, as facilitators observe increased confidence and comfort in social interactions among the learners.
Tebogo Lelaletse, a 29-year-old dancer from North West province who uses a wheelchair, shared that dance provides a non-verbal outlet for storytelling and emotion. Lesego Dihemo, a professional dancer who teaches at Johannesburg School for Autism, noted the program expanded her understanding of inclusive practice after receiving training and conducting research on autism.
