I am part of a dance company called Elite, and I wanted to do a blog about how amazing they are.
Elite as a company, are very inclusive to everyone, so although in my blog I am just talking about how I am accommodated to, there are many dancers at Elite, all from different backgrounds and ability but everyone is helped in whatever way they need. Nothing is ever too much trouble to make a dancer feel confident which is why I want to share how good they are. Because of Elite there are so many dancers there that may not get the chance to dance if it were not for Elite fighting to break down barriers in not only the dance community, but in sports in general.
I first joined Elite just under two years ago. I had my reservations about how I would fit in, or hear the music; would I be able to feel the rhythm through vibrations in the floor? When I first joined I was in a ballet class with just me and a friend who had invited me to Elite. It was good to be in a very small class and almost one on one, and that helped a lot to make me feel comfortable, and was great from a hearing point of view, as it was easy to hear the music.
After a couple of months there I was moved to contemporary dance and have been there since. I have always loved performing, and so was loving being back at something I love. Being in a slightly bigger class was a bit of a change, but I have made some friendships for life and it really is like being part of a family. However, this didn’t come without its struggles.
In my time at Elite we have been at three different studio locations, all quite different rooms. Wherever we went our amazing dance teacher Nat (who really is the rock of our little family at Elite) made sure I was able to hear the music, and did everything she could to make sure I could hear, and/or feel the vibrations through the floor. Even at performances/competitions that weren’t at our studio, Nat did what she could to make sure I could hear and felt comfortable performing in the environment we were in.
There are always times when things aren’t perfect, for example, one of our places we rehearse currently is in a large sports hall: high ceiling and wooden floors. For me this is a difficult place to hear things as there is an echo. But this is where my fantastic group of friends there step in. They know I struggle to hear in that environment, and so they are always happy to repeat anything I may not hear, or lead me dancing if I can’t quite hear the music.
Elite do so much more than I can put into words or into this blog, but it’s because of their determination to break down barrier that allows myself, despite the struggles, to participate, and feel confident about being dancing and performing. I cannot express how amazing it is to be part of such a wonderful company, and it truly is like being part of a family. Nat is such a wonderful example of how doing just that little extra can make a big difference to someone, and she does this for every one of her dancers. Although I have not mentioned them specifically, there are so many people at Elite who work behind the scenes to support Nat and Elite.