Building Confidence & Independence!

So much has been happening in my class lately!

Let me start with D.

D, who began the session as my shy wall flower, is now part of my “Front Row Crew”

Let me tell you about my Front Row Crew.

If a student wants to be in the Front fow, he or she is more than welcome. But there are rules.

The student cannot be “silly.” Of course, they do not have to move perfectly, or even correctly. But they must attend to me, attempt to follow my moves, and contribute to the class. The other students will be watching them, so they must set an example to the others if they are going to be in the front.

Some of these guys will do anything for a laugh. They might “fall” on the floor, purposely go in the wrong direction or bump into me and other participants, lift their shirts… the list goes on.

Now, D has never been silly. But he has been shy, and has found the moves challenging. Despite those challenges, he never got frustrated. Ever. But he just wouldn’t take that many chances in the beginning. He would stay close to his mom, who also participated in the class for her own workout. She would stop from time to time when he was not moving the right way, and adjust him or redirect a move.

Week after week, I noticed 2 things about D:

First, I noticed how much more he was doing. His eyes never left me. He watched every movement, and did a little more with each week.

And then, I noticed how much closer to the front he would move. And that he would be smiling.

D’s smile rocks. He would greet me before each class with his beautiful brown eyes shining, and a little smile on his lips. He has the type of smile that is more in his eyes than on his lips. His eyes smile the whole class now. He is one of my most dedicated students.

D has also been noticing some of the more subtle steps I have been adding to the choreography – a slight move of the hand or arm. A quick ball change. While in the beginning he was only aware of the bigger movement – arms swinging, general direction changes – he now notices those smaller things. He also has been continuing the choreography if I turn around, or stop to watch the students (which is very difficult for him and some of the other students since they are so used to following someone. Doing things independently is always the goal of individuals with autism. And always the biggest challenge). I have seen, since I started in the fall, that D is SO much more aware of his body and where it is in the space around him.

He is discovering how his legs and arms move. How his feet and hands move.

D is DANCING for the first time in his life.

And man, with those smiling eyes and subtle steps, he is a ROCKSTAR!

And then there is C.

Let me start off by saying how much I dig C. C is extremely social and engaging. A complete charmer. He will always chat me up during the break. I love talking with C. I feel like I am at a party when we talk, and I am getting to chat with the funniest guy in the room.

However, he will do anything for a laugh, and thrives on attention. During class, he tends to do silly things – lift his shirt, jump up, try to bump into me, roll on the floor… the list went on. When we do our Shakira Africa song, and I am getting the class to press their hands into their hearts, and he is standing there moving his pecs up and down with his hands, enough is enough!!!!

C decided he wanted to start coming to the front row of my class. He just started inching his way up there a few weeks ago (the moms joke that I am a class celebrity that all the students want to get near… LOL). I always let C know what he needs to do to stay there.

Last week, after 2 warnings, he was sent to the back of the room for the rest of the class because of his behaviors. He sulked, but he realized I meant business.

This week, he arrived early, and looked at me guiltily as he walked in. I am not one to hold grudges, but I am one to read a good riot act to certain individuals. this morning was his lucky day. Before the class began, I reminded him of what he needed to do to stay in the front row with me, and told him he gets one chance. One. and then he is sitting for the rest of the class. He nodded, and promised me he would behave.

And he did. He worked so hard to show me how hard he was trying to be worthy of the front row. And he really was! His smile and his moves were a great addition to the Front Row Crew.I made sure to praise him and give him MORE attention for being a contributing member of the class.

These are the types of challenges I have been facing in the class for the most part. Communicating to these guys what the expectations are, getting them to follow what I am doing while having them find their OWN rhythm in the process.

After all, they do not need to move the way I move. They need to move the way THEY move.

In order to do this, it has been my goal from day 1 to NOT have to be there in the front of the class, leading them. I want to be able to move around the room, to turn to face them, to stop and watch them show me what they can do.

This week, I was able to turn and walk around through much of the class. The students know the choreography so well now, that they know that there are no turns or walks in it. They have realized, in their own, that if I am turning, or walking around – it is not part of the choreography – it is a chance to let them do these moves on their own. It took 6 months to get here, but so what! This is a HUGE step for all of us.

It is something that most would take for granted, but not when working with individuals with special needs.

Things that would not even be a blip on anyone's radar becomes an entire universe when you work with these guys.

This is what makes this the hardest and most wonderful job in the whole world.

X has been pretty much my assistant through this whole process. I always talk about X, but I can't help it. This young man has rhythm like you wouldn’t believe. He never misses a step. He gets the choreography immediately, and laughs loudly when I mess up.

This morning, when a merengue came on, I went to adjust the volume, and could not get to the front in time before the music started. He led the class through the whole beginning of the routine! I decided to hang back and just let him do it. Why not? His mom and I laughed and watched as he did a perfect job with the relatively newer choreography.

During the water break, his mom shared with me that he and B have been leading the teen dances in some of their favorite songs from Zumba. Coordinating and discussing it on their own, and LEADING a big group!!!

Remember - these things are universes, not blips!!!!!!!!

Halfway through the class, “Dynamite” came on. I decided to sit down and watch them do all the choreography for me. This is their favorite song, and they just love the routine. B, who always says she wants to be on So You Think You Can Dance, looked like a total super star. She was SO proud to be doing this routine in the front row, on her own. My students were proudly performing for me. Showing me how well they can do this on their own. I would have cried if I wasn’t so busy smiling.

I have to admit - sitting down during a Zumba class was nice. I was tempted to stay patrked there for the rest of the hour. But siiighhhhh. I got up. all creaky kneed and tight jointed (did I mention I'm also training for my first half marathon? But... That's for my other blog!)


I started something new with the group last week. A Quebradita in a circle. As part of the song, I give each student an opportunity to get into the middle of the circle and lead a move for the rest of us. This has been their most favorite thing to do. I do not think this would have been as successful in the beginning. But now that the students “get” the format, and get what it means to dance and be a part of the group, this has been flawless.

Yes, my sillier participants have been banging out moves that I call “the Russian wedding move” (you know the move – practically sitting on the floor, kicking up and down. Good for the quads. and a piece of cake if you are Lou Ferrigno. Or L, who rocks those moves like nobody’s business!), or high plyo leaps - with heel clicks in the air (The "Dorothy"). Ouch.

But.... this is THEIR moment to shine. Their opportunity to express themelves on their own, with no direction from me.

This is harder for them then it seems (Universe).

But, as usual, they all have stepped up to the plate. This Quebradita, i feel, truly unifies us as a group, and has automatically become one of my favorite things to do in the class.

I hope to give these guys more opportunities to lead, and play more “games” with them that allow them to do this on a regular basis.

This journey has been amazing. And it has only begun.

I was asked to start a new Special Needs Zumba class on a weeknight!

I am going to get to know a whole new group of individuals, and all the challenges and delightful discoveries that come with them.

As a result, this blog is going to be updated on a more regular basis, since I am going to need to share and vent as I experience the amazing process that is teaching the special needs population Zumba!!!!

My students are SUPER!!!

Between holidays, inclement weather, my own conferences for work, etc, the class has not been as consistent as I would like.

However, the students never miss a beat. They remember every song, and every step. They keep greeting me early every Saturday morning with so much enthusiasm, it’s hard to stay tired for too long…

So, what has 2011 brought to us so far…

Coming back after new years was smooth and quiet. The students were happy to be back.

The students were eager to get back to Zumba. And of course, it wouldn’t be our class without something major going on to lead us all to distraction, and be forced to work through it to stay focused on the music and our steps…

One particularly freezing Saturday, with the temperature outside in the single digits, the dojo didn’t receive their oil delivery. The studio was actually colder inside than it was outside.

That was the day I taught most of the class in my hat and gloves. That was a tough day for the students to get motivated and stay motivated, but… they did it! Eventually we all warmed up a bit. That was not a sweaty class to say the least.

The following Saturday, the dojo had guys in to test and fix the fire alarm. All through the class. If anyone is unfamiliar with people on the autism spectrum and loud, screeching noises with flashing lights, let me sum it up for you: a recipe for disaster. Again, after a few held their fingers in their ears and voiced their protests, I was able to get them back on track with a favorite song.

It is becoming the running joke in our class between myself and the moms… what is in store for us THIS week?

This morning, surprisingly – the class went off without a hitch. Frankly, I was shocked. And possibly a bit disappointed.

Last night, at the teen dance, I was told that X. not only requested that Fuego be played (which he happened to have on his iPod – he has found all of his favorite Latin songs and carries them with him now – thanks to Zumba!), but he got up and taught all the other teens the choreography that we do in class. The moms that were there were all raving at how amazing he did. I was not surprised. X. has a gift for being right on the beat. His rhythm is flawless. He gets every move – every step, every arm movement, everything. And he loves it enough to share with everyone.

Go X!!!

And then there is D…. My new superstar.

D has been coming with his mom, always doing his thing in the back. Smiling, and moving – loving every minute of it, but I could not get him to venture far enough away from his mom to get closer to the front of the room. His mom tells me that he looks forward to Zumba all week. His smile says it all.

However, last week, and this morning, something completely transformed in D.
He has moved to the front row!

That, to me, is huge.

Seeing him move, his face, his smile all change from simple enjoyment to pride is something hard to measure. It has to be seen.

D. is PROUD of himself.

D. is developing confidence, knowing that he is not just moving – but moving correctly.

After each song, he makes eye contact with me, and smiles when I praise him. He is trying new steps. He loves the challenge. I remember when walking side to side was challenging. He could not do a basic salsa step or a reggaeton. Now, he steps side. He steps front. He grapevines. He jumps. He does V steps. He cha chas. He used to do a step AFTER I did it, and now he does it at the same time. These are all really major accomplishments!!!

His favorite song is “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. He rocks it out like no one’s business.

Unfortunately, these guys have ANOTHER 2 week break until our next class. At least that means I can hold onto my music for a while before I feel the need to switch it up.

My goal for March is to put on a song once a week and let one student teach the class for that song. Since each student has “their” song that they have connected with, I thought that would be a great way to let them have it, own it, and exude the joy and confidence that their song has given them.

Stay tuned!!!