Hannah rides into dance class every Wednesday night in a chair decked out with Elvis stickers. She goes through the stretches, anxiously waiting to learn a new dance move and sing along to the latest Katy Perry song.
Hannah has been one of my dance partners for the past three years. She has cerebral palsy. She is 18 and naturally gets excited talking about boys, celebrities, and Elvis. She loves Elvis.
From my time volunteering in the dance class, I have learned an unbelievable amount. Dancing with Hannah and the other students has taught me patience, perseverance, and acceptance. But above all, my volunteer work has shown me how to have fun and stay positive in the face of difficulty.
The students in the dance class range from age 7 to age 18. There is also a range in the severity of their disabilities: some are in chairs, some have walkers, and others have leg braces.
But every student wears a smile to class every day. They’re positivity fuels my excitement to come to class every week after a long day of school and sometimes play practice because I can’t wait to do the duck dance or bust out with the electric slide just to make their day.
Many times the children have been in physical therapy sessions all day, in and out of the hospital, understandably exhausted and overwhelmed by strange faces. I made it my goal when I got to the dance class to befriend every student. I grew to know each child’s favorite song, color, dance move, teacher—all of the other seemingly little things that are so important to children.
At the end of every class, we have “parachute time.” The children literally shriek with excitement when the volunteers unfold the giant parachute, and we all gather under the ballooned parachute and tell jokes. Among countless dance moves and pop songs, parachute time is my favorite. I remember how excited I got in elementary school gym class when we played under the parachute, and I see the same exhilaration on the faces of the children in the class.
The space we create under the parachute echoes with laughter. It’s so rare to find such pure joy in the average day, especially with the physical and mental stress these children endure. But nevertheless, they giggle until they’re red.
My experience in the dance class is invaluable. Laughter has such a healing power and it comes so easily to children who are under such physical and mental stress. If they can find the fun moments in difficult situations, anyone can. 