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TIME Photos by: Jessica Brown
An alum’s mission to help children and adults with intellectual disabilities learn how to dance
Danielle Lewis, a former profes- sional dancer and now a resi- dential home care supervisor for adults with intellectual dis- abilities, saw an opportunity to bring joy into the lives of her cli- ents. When they learned of her previous career, their eyes lit up with excitement, Lewis said. She relentlessly researched dance studios in Indianapolis that offered classes tailored to adults and children with intel- lectual disabilities. Unfortunate- ly, she kept coming up short.
“It just wasn’t fair. They should be afforded the same opportu- nities to dance just like anybody else,” Lewis said. Lewis decided to put her danc- ing shoes back on and provide dance lessons for her clients and others in the community with intellectual disabilities who wanted to learn. She adapted her former teaching styles to suit her clients’ attention and learning capabilities. She even developed a nonprofit business
plan and secured studio space through Indy Parks twice a week for the dance classes, which were completely free. Then, March 2020 came. Al- though the COVID-19 pan- demic caused some setbacks, Lewis continued to pursue her new-found passion for inclusive dance instruction and enrolled in Ivy Tech’s Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With the help of the entrepreneurship program,
18 | Ivy Indy
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