North Hollywood Students with Disabilities Dance at The Music Center

From a press release:

A group of students with disabilities from Burbank’s All-Abilities Dance, CHAMPS in Van Nuys, Coldwater Canyon Elementary in North Hollywood, Glenwood Elementary and Sun Valley High School in Sun Valley, Madison Middle School in North Hollywood, Shirley Elementary in Reseda, Toluca Lake Elementary and Valley Academy of the Arts in Granada Hills, among other schools, performed live for the first time ever at The Music Center’s 36th Annual Very Special Arts Festival.

This free public event shined the light on the artistic accomplishments of K-12 students with disabilities along with their mainstream peers. This year’s festival featured performances by students from schools all over Los Angeles County on two outdoor stages on The Music Center Plaza.

Students also participated in visual and performing arts workshops and enjoyed a student art exhibit created around the theme “A Year to Remember,” in honor of The Music Center’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.

Produced in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival gives students with disabilities the rare opportunity to overcome their challenges in a way that is not only fun but highly impactful.

Teachers and parents alike describe how powerful this event is in inspiring themselves and their students with the help and transformative power of the arts, both in the classroom and on the stage.

As one teacher who is a repeat participant in the festival says, “At the beginning of the school year, a child might not be able to walk across the room or turn with a walker, but by the time he or she is on stage, he or she can. Through dance, we teach them, in a fun way, how to overcome their challenges. At the Very Special Arts Festival, students’ disabilities are not a struggle, they’re a giant celebration.”

PHOTO Kids from Coldwater Canyon Elementary. Courtesy the Music Center.

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