Just beyond a well worn lobby of neutral colors, beaten furniture and walls scattered with a few framed pictures sits a shiny wooden floor, mirrored walls, ballet bars and a small stereo system.
From the lobby soft music and intermittent loud voices can be heard. “I want you to stretch out your legs and try to kiss your toes!” instructs an enthusiastic voice.
Loud giggles immediately erupt from a student who can’t quite get past the idea of kissing her own toes.
Inside, only five students surround a teacher. Each has his or her own little square of carpet to designate individual spaces on the floor. At any given time, usually only one, maybe two, of the students are actually paying attention to instructor Ashley Graves-DeFabio Gearing.
Lucky for the students, Gearing is enthusiastic and spontaneous, always ready to make a change in plans to better their experience. Gearing’s program, New Directions in Dance, is different than most. This program is a creative movement program for children and adults with “disABILITIES.”
New Directions in Dance is an original and unique program where people of all ability levels can create and express themselves through movement. It is also one of the few programs in the Harrisonburg area for people with disabilities. This program allows people of all ages – except those younger than five – and disabilities to participate: male or female, with or without a wheelchair, people with autism, moderate to severe mental retardation and various other disabilities and impairments.
Gearing is teacher, choreographer and creator of New Directions. Her classes teach students a physical art form, allow them to express themselves creatively, enjoy the benefits of physical activity, socialization and recreation while celebrating the movement that each student can do.
Gearing was born and raised in Harrisonburg. In college she minored in early childhood development and received her Bachelor of Arts in dance from James Madison University. Gearing began dancing at age six and has been hooked ever since.
After graduating, Gearing spent a few years solely in the dance profession then decided that she wanted to teach as well, so she enrolled at JMU again to receive her Masters in special education.
Gearing became a teacher of middle school students with significant disabilities at Montevideo Middle School in Harrisonburg, and in the fall of 2004 she combined her two passions – dance and special education – creating a program to further the education and activity of people with disabilities.
“When I started to look around for things for my students to do outside of class, I found that in a community of 40,000 people, there are only a handful of extra curricular activities for people with disabilities- and none of them focus on creativity. I was irritated that a town this size with this many resources had so few options, and I love dance, so I decided to create my own.”
New Directions dance classes have a different atmosphere from most. Unlike many classes, there aren’t strict noise level restrictions, dress codes or certain etiquette to follow. In fact, there may be only one rule: to try your very best.
Gearing structures each class much like a regular class. She plans a warm-up, bar activity, center, across the floor and incorporates styles of tap, ballet, jazz or modern and teaches a new step or skill in each class. However, her expectations for the students are completely different.
“I expect complete attempts and I expect everyone to try their hardest and to be as creative as possible. That’s what I reward and expect. I want my students to be involved and trying their hardest while having a good time.”
As far as developing the class and its structure, Gearing was basically on her own.
“Once I realized there wasn’t going to be a guide for me to follow as I developed my class, I was like ‘Well, I guess I’m going to have to just wing this. Do the best I can by the seat of my pants.’”
The ability to adapt and try new things within the class has been pertinent in developing a class that is most beneficial for her students.
“Improvisation isn’t specific and doesn’t have to look a certain way, so it is great for creativity.”
Similar to all extra-curricular activities, enrollment is always changing. Currently there is an adult class with three students between the ages of 20 and 40, and an adolescent class with five students between the ages of 10 and 17.
“I would like to expand my adult class because the adults are very high- functioning ladies and they are ready to move it and shake it,” says Gearing.
The three women in class also live together in a Pleasant View home, so they are comfortable with one another.
“Adding more students would also give them an opportunity to work with other people and have new social interactions,” she adds.
When considering her adolescent class, Gearing says, “I’d like to have 10 students, but I’d need an assistant.” Although there are students from Montevideo and occasionally from JMU that volunteer in the program, in order to increase enrollment, permanent help would be necessary. Despite the low enrollment, Gearing is content with the program’s success thus far.
“I’m happy with the program right now. It’s a small program, and there are some volunteers from my own class which makes me very happy. I’ve got an end of the year recital concert planned and I’ve already got ideas about how to change it and make it better than last year.”
Even without adaptations, a repeat of last year’s recital would be warmly welcomed among students and family involved in New Directions in Dance.
“I had parents come to me and say ‘I never thought I would see my kid on stage, and invite my family to their concert. Not their brother’s, not their sister’s, but their own concert.’ The camcorders were rollin’ baby! It was a wonderful concert,” Gearing says.
Kristin Gillen, program coordinator at Pleasant View’s Turner House where three adult students live, has a similar memory of the event.
“One of the highlights for me was watching the recital,” Gillen said. “My residents and all of the students were so overjoyed to participate and have the spotlight on them while they were showing people what they could do…I was so proud.”
Gillen also recognizes the benefits that New Directions has for her residents: “It’s another way for them to express themselves. Some of our residents have difficulty with verbal communication and this is a way for them to communicate as well as release energy.”
April, the most serious of the adult students, “always has a smile on her face when she gets back from class. She talks to me about class and always wants to show what she has learned,” says Gillen.
Another student, Claire Steiber, also loves class. Claire was born with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome and diagnosed when she was one day old. Rubinstein-Taybi is a syndrome that affects one in 300,000 people, possibly making more it difficult to understand than some other syndromes or disabilities. Claire’s mother, Emelita Steiber, is positive that New Directions in Dance is beneficial for Claire.
Claire is a student of Ashley Gearing’s at Montevideo Middle School and rides with her to dance class every Tuesday. “Ashley is a really dedicated teacher of those with disabilities and Claire has really blossomed under Ashley,” says Steiber.
Steiber also feels that New Directions is good for Claire because it keeps her busy after school and helps her learn and follow directions. More essential than the physical benefits of being in the class are the social aspects. “Just being there with Ashley and other individuals helps to develop her personality,” says Steiber.
According to Steiber, Claire is often afraid to try new things and doesn’t like them when she does, but it was a different story with New Directions in Dance. In fact, Claire kept her eyes closed for most of the first class, but must have liked it despite her fear because she continues to return week after week.
“Claire looks forward to class and riding there with Ashley. She can’t really talk, but when I pick her up after class she babbles to me and that means she really enjoyed it,” Steiber says.
As for the future of New Directions in Dance, Gearing says, “I don’t know what will happen. It really depends on what the community is interested in and how many people sign up for my class. If I had more students I would seek out more helpers and try to pay them enough to keep them involved. It’s certainly not a money-making business but as my husband always reminds me, ‘If we break even, we’re happy’ and that’s true.”
Although Gearing loves the art of dance, the actual improvement of steps hasn’t been the most valuable aspect of her program.
“I absolutely have seen some physical capabilities improve but I have really seen a lot of social aspects improve. I have seen confidence improve, the willingness and ability to jump right up and in there, improve. I have seen people open up and that is what is most important to me,” she says.
Gillen is thrilled with the results of New Directions. “People with disabilities have huge hearts. They show the same amount of heart and emotion that the rest of us do. They long for the same human interaction that we have. They want to be included just as much as we do.”
New Directions in Dance is currently helping people with disabilities find a creative outlet, learn new ways of communication and find a sense of belonging within a group.
“If I can just help one person feel accepted, help one person accept another with a disability, I am happy,” Gearing says.
For more information about New Directions in Dance, LLC, contact Ashley Graves-DeFabio Gearing at 540.271.0270.
