Regional Gathering on Dance Education and Disability Hosted by Young Dance

Performances and Events

Young Dance is excited to host a Regional Gathering on Dance Education and Disability: A Practice of Belonging, July 24-25, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. This convening is sponsored by Art Spark Texas with financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Part of a national series of gatherings supported by Art Spark Texas and the NEA, this two day event will bring together dance and arts educators, presenters, and creators for workshops, panel discussions, think tanks, and a performance as we explore ways we practice belonging through inclusive dance and dance education.

All events are free for participants and registration is now open!

Presenters and session topics include:

• Daniel Grove and Aileen Norris: Dreaming and Defying: Dynamic Disability in Dance
  
• Taja Will: Writing an Access Rider or Receiving One: Advocacy Tools
  
• Gretchen Pick: Writing Curriculum Think Tank
  
• Pushmakers: Pushing the Boundaries: Cultivating Community Leadership in Disability Dance (Virtual presentation)
  
• Petra Kuppers: Crip Drifts: An Eco Soma Sensing of Our Communal Space
  
• Curio Dance: Launching a Dance Troupe for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: A Collaboration Between an Occupational Therapist, Professional Dancer, and Self-Advocate
  
• Stephanie Heit: Mad Conductors
  
• Kairos Alive!: Kairos Alive! Dancing Heart™ Workshop: Neuro Arts and Nature
  
• Scott Artley Consulting: A Field Guide to Disability Models in the Wild: mental models of disability and how they shape the everyday practice of access
  
• Feel the Beat: Body Tapping: Rhythm You Can Feel
  
• Dreamstorming Access: A Creative Pedagogy Centering Access and Belonging
  
• Silva Laukkanen: 7 Word Sentences

For the full event schedule visit our website at https://youngdance.org/dance-disability/. Have questions? Reach out to Gretchen Pick at gretchen@youngdance.org.

This gathering also continues Art Spark Texas’ barrier-free dance education research, launched in 2021, and follows the national hybrid convening held in San Marcos, Texas (October 2024), focused on expanding access for people with disabilities. Learn more at: https://www.artsparkdance.org/refocusing-dance-education/.