Brookfield Dance Studio, Sandy Hook Charity Cause 'The Butterfly Effect' in Special Needs Community

BROOKFIELD, CT — The owners and teachers of a Brookfield dance studio is working with a Sandy Hook nonprofit to give special needs students the opportunity to express themselves creatively through dance.

Dody Flynn, owner of Dance Dimensions in Brookfield, and her sister Amy DeLoughy, of Newtown, have been working with Hockley to launch Wingman Guide for Dance. The program kicked off last Sunday during National Dance Week with a giant dance mob at Newtown High School's Blue & Gold Stadium. Click here for photos.

Dance Dimensions in Brookfield has offered a Buddy Dance program geared to students with special needs for the last six years. The program is a recreational dance class for special needs students who enjoy music and movement. Each class has volunteer dance buddies who participate fully and serve as role models. Classes are formatted to match the ages and abilities of the students in each group. An optional low key performance is possible at the end of the spring session.

Dylan's Wings of Change recently launched Wingman for Dance, "a powerful youth leadership program that inspires empathy, compassion and courage in all children." Dylan's Wings of Change is a foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan Hockley, one of the first grade victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

The Wingman Guide has been used in schools and sports clubs throughout Connecticut and has now been adapted for use in dance studios.

"Think of the butterfly effect. The flapping of a butterfly's wings on one side of the world will ripple out and can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world." Ian Hockley recently shared his butterfly message of change at the Michael's Cup awards for Unified Sports in Connecticut's Schools.

At the Michaels Cup Unified Sports® Banquet awards ceremony, Ian Hockley gave the top two competitors from each represented school a very special pin remembering his son Dylan, who had autism, and used to flap his wings like a butterfly when he was happy. The pin celebrates the students' achievements and honors the legacy of a remarkable young boy whose short life on this earth continues to have a ripple effect.

Dance Dimensions' year end performance is on Saturday, May 21 at 4 p.m. at Western Connecticut State University, White Hall in the Ives Concert Auditorium. Passes are by pre-order only. There will not be any available the day of the performance.

Please contact Dody Flynn at dancedimensionsllc@yahoo.com, or203-417-4355 for more information about the class or for performance passes.

Email WingmanForDance@gmail.com for more information about Wingman for Dance or visit: http://www.dylanswingsofchange.org.

Photo: credit: Rhonda Cullens