March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
Community Health Foundation (CHF Springfield) provided an outreach grant to Developmental Disabilities of Clark County (DDCC) to support their arts program for children. Dance and theater experience is shown to improve physical wellbeing, confidence, communication, and social skills for children with disabilities.
DDCC, working with a local dance studio and theater professionals, is providing weekly dance and theater instruction for children K through 8th grade. Since September, the children have been learning roles for a production named “A Perfect Blendship”, highlighting the importance of friendships. They are learning roles from short stories adapted from the children’s books, The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig, Rainbow Fish and Sadie and the Silver Shoes. The children are developing singing, acting, prop and costume design skills.
Dance instruction and performance lead to many benefits, such as improving motor development, muscle strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, as well as building confidence and well-being through teamwork and social interaction.
Mark your calendar for April 9 at 7:00 pm for The Perfect Blendship performance at the Turner Studio Theater.