Project Prima is an incredible dance program that started last year at UVM. The class is held once a month and is for children with special needs. It is truly a magical program! Emily Fixx, a dancer, wrote an amazing blog about the program.
I owe much of the credit for our program, Project Prima, to the two founders of Ballet Viridis, who have both recently graduated from UVM. I met them in my early morning ballet class during my second semester of freshman year, when they had only just began talking about their desire to start a ballet club. They asked me if I wanted to come to a sort of “test rehearsal” with a few other girls to see if we would all be interested in starting the club together. From then on we were hooked. We started dancing more and more each week, first in the racquetball courts in the gym, and only occasionally getting to use the big dance studio on campus. After many meetings and a lot of paperwork, we officially got recognized as Ballet Viridis. As the semesters progressed and our club grew, I couldn’t help notice how kind and creative all of the club members were, and it reminded me of my former community at New Haven Ballet. With that, I was instantly reminded of Brad Roth’s program of Shared Ability, and immediately started brainstorming a way to start something similar in Vermont. After getting in touch with many community centers in the area and spreading the word of our idea around, we held our first workshop class for local children with disabilities, we called it “Project Prima.” We were extremely grateful for such a large turnout in the first class, as well as for the willingness of the parents to bring their children to an experimental program that had never been done in the area. We are very fortunate to have many of the original children who attended the first workshop to be dancing with us, as well as many more. During my senior year, I hope to expand the program by reaching more children in the Burlington area, as well as incorporating all that Burlington has to offer such as music, art and nature.
The most rewarding part about Project Prima thus far has been observing and experiencing the changes that both the children who dance with us as well as our club members have undergone. It has been incredible to watch the members of Ballet Viridis become more open and creative while working with the Project Prima dancers, and it has been even more rewarding to see the joy that the kids get from discovering all that their bodies are capable of, despite having a disability. Watching a child feel the beat of the music and visibly become happier and more relaxed is an exciting part of the class. Helping someone accomplish a step they have never thought they would be able to do such as a leap or a turn, and then seeing their smile when the other dancers and parents applaud their accomplishment is an overwhelmingly joyful experience. Finally, it has been amazing to watch the attitudes of the parents change from nervous and unsure, to relaxed and grateful towards our club, as well as even more proud of their child. If it wasn’t for the support and trust of the parents, this program would not be as successful as it is. Watching a parent’s reaction when they see the joy their child experiences from learning about his or her bodies’ full potential is a priceless expression that keeps me driven during every workshop. As students, so many of us spend our days stressed with school and work that it sometimes becomes hard to get a good perspective on life and realize what is truly important, however every Sunday during our Project Prima workshop we find ourselves putting our homework aside and slowing down in order to focus on the most simple details and joys of life as we, and everyone who is involved in Project Prima discover happiness through dance over and over again.