Hubbard Street to Offer Introduction to Adaptive Dance

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton, and its Youth, Education and Community Programs department, under the leadership of Kathryn Humphreys, are pleased to offer a suite of professional development opportunities this summer, introducing attendees to its Adaptive Dance Programs, created for those with Parkinson's disease and young people on the autism spectrum.

Designed for dance educators, group coordinators, community leaders, care partners, allied health professionals, and teachers of yoga, fitness and Pilates, Introduction to Adaptive Dance is a comprehensive overview of techniques, resources, and best practices. Workshop participants will gain greater understanding of the methods and activities employed at Hubbard Street for teaching dance to students with Parkinson's and autism, and be advised how to develop their own philosophies and program goals for this work.

Introduction to Adaptive Dance will be offered July 14-17, 2015 from 4:30-7:30pm each day, with the option to participate in a Hubbard Street Parkinson's Project class on July 18. All sessions will be held at the Hubbard Street Dance Center, located at 1147 West Jackson Boulevard in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.

Introduction to Adaptive Dance will encompass three points of focus. Participants will first create their particular mission, learning how to build community, identify students, and determine how to develop and differentiate school, community, and studio programs. An introduction to Hubbard Street's Parkinson's Project curriculum will cover how to build successful warm-ups, increase students' mobility, and develop community through dancing together. An introduction to The Autism Project curriculum will detail processes for building a highly structured dance class for young people with autism; explain how to create and utilize visual supports, sensory supports and challenges; and outline best practices for assistants and aides in the dance classroom.

Introduction to Adaptive Dance faculty members will include Kathryn Humphreys, Director of Hubbard Street's Education, Youth, and Community Programs; Kelsey Allison, Hubbard Street's Youth Programs Manager; Sarah Cullen Fuller, Founding Teaching Artist for Hubbard Street's Parkinson's Project; and MK Victorson, faculty member for The Autism Project at Hubbard Street.

The cost to attend Introduction to Adaptive Dance is $350 per person; please note that those attending from beyond the Chicago area will be responsible for their own housing, and transportation to and from the Hubbard Street Dance Center, which is easily accessible via the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), the CTA Blue Line (Forest Park branch to Racine) and numerous CTA bus routes including 7 Harrison, 9 Ashland, 20 Madison, 60 Blue Island and 126 Jackson. Space is limited and advance registration is required; the form is available online at http://bit.ly/AdaptiveDanceWorkshops and via Hubbard Street's website at hubbardstreetdance.com.

Adaptive Dance Programs at Hubbard Street are provided under a contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

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