A message from our board of directors

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Dear DanceAbility Community, 

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For almost forty years, DanceAbility has eliminated barriers and created connections between people with and without disabilities. With more than 800 certified teachers in more than 40 countries, DanceAbility has enabled people with and without disabilities to dance and create movements together. 

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But the sociopolitical landscape around us has drastically changed: federal funding is cut, and the pressure to separate and isolate people is tangible. Now, the art of being together is more important than ever.

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“When I dance, it feels like I do not have a disability,” said participant Toña Rivera. “Dancing makes me feel free, and I hope to inspire young people with physical disabilities to dance.”

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Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, the U.S. has made great progress in improving the American landscape to be inclusive to and accessible for people with disabilities. The historic ADA was legislated three years after DanceAbility was founded, proving that the nonprofit arts sector has significant effects beyond the stage.

 

“The goal of DanceAbility is to eliminate isolation,” says Alito Alessi, founder and executive director of DanceAbility. “Being together is more important than ever in today’s world.”

 

Most people would live different lives were it not for the nonprofit organizations like DanceAbility envisioning a better world. In today’s divisive environment, we remain actively committed to our purpose of eliminating the isolation so many members of our community face, and creating moments of human connection. 

 

Your support is critical to continuing this work. At this moment, we need your belief in people, in human connection – in DanceAbility. When you support DanceAbility, you support a worldwide community and a faith that we have more in common than we don’t.

 

People, with and without disabilities, are at the center of our work. We are determined to continue using our platform as a space for dialogue, solidarity, and resistance through dance performances and workshops– and soon the publication of our first book “The Art of Being Together.” Your support will sustain our programming, and bring new projects to life.

Together, we can forge a future that is inclusive for everyone – because that’s where real movements begin.

 

With gratitude and commitment,

 

DanceAbility’s Board of Directors​

 

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