Dancing with the Creative Arts Project

I watch my small son through glass faintly smudged by tiny fingerprints, thrilled to see him glide across the dance floor with obvious joy.

He is beside himself with excitement, and I am witness to the same level of glee from the other children, as they tumble through the door into the open arms of their moms and dads.

As class ends their teacher, Miss Katie, comes into the waiting area with a good report for all the waiting parents.

Zach bounds over to her and hugs her, and remains motionless (for once!) as I slip on his socks and sneakers for our trip home.

John Travolta has nothing on Zach when it’s time to shake his bootie.

Zach has always liked moving around (perhaps that’s an understatement, as the child possesses more energy than me and my husband combined), but this affinity for dance has only been unleashed in him since he became a member of the Creative Arts Project.

The founder of the program, Katie Laurino, developed the idea in order to afford children with a myriad of developmental challenges the chance to participate in the arts in a meaningful, safe environment.

The instructor and her assistants have incorporated the dual goals of promoting self-confidence and socialization into the classes, concepts dear to Ms. Katie’s heart.

The desired outcome of the lessons is to provide a forty-five minute class that helps children gain better body awareness, an understanding of dance, and facilitates creativity in movement.

If you could see Zach’s face after every lesson, you’d know there’s at least one child living out Miss Katie’s dream.

Ms. Laurino’s desire to create a place where children are encouraged just to be themselves came from a personal experience, one which inspired her to action.

Upon relocating back to the Garden State after a half decade teaching dance in a North Carolina studio, she spent some time babysitting a family with two boys, one on the autism spectrum, and one who was neurotypical.

Part of her duties included taking the children to karate class, where she often heard the other students publicly discussing how her charge with PDD-NOS was “different."

She wasn’t certain if the little boy comprehended what was being said about him, but she was confident his sibling understood it all. Miss Katie decided that he, and every child, deserved better.

And from a desire to transcend tolerance and promote acceptance, the Creative Arts Project was born.

The Creative Arts Project (CAP) holds several different reasonably-priced sessions on Friday afternoons, with placement of each child being determined by both age and level of ability.

Miss Katie is hoping to add some new elements to the school soon, including yoga-for-kids, at a later date.

The fancy footwork takes place at the Rebecca Martin School of Dance, 1628 Beaver Dam Road, Point Pleasant. For further information, please contact Katie Laurino at: thecreativeartsproject@gmail.com.