Dancer inspires others by following heart, feet
Angela Rose Dorantes, owner of Steppin’ Out Dance Studio in the Mission District, was teaching a class for young children when she noticed a student’s younger sister dancing along on the sidelines. “I noticed Olivia dancing off on the side of the class in her big sister’s shoes,” Dorantes says. Olivia Byers-Straus, who has Down syndrome, was 2 at the time. The next season she would join a class for little sisters. That was more than 20 years ago. She hasn’t stopped dancing since. “I love it because it’s who I am,” she says.” Byers-Straus describes feeling alive onstage, and it’s obvious. During a recent season-ending performance at Everett Middle School, her freestyle dance elicited cheers from the crowd. The joy on her face was unmistakable. “The reason I feel free and alive is because I just want to show the world who I really am, and I want them to be part of that,” she says. While continuing to pursue her love of dance as a student, the 25-year-old also teaches a class for young dancers with disabilities at the studio — an opportunity given to her by Dorantes. “It’s awesome to have a teacher that is like you and successful at doing what she’s doing, and I think that’s really cool,” Dorantes says. In addition to a love of dance, Byers-Straus is pursuing her passion for fashion. In October, she will travel to Denver to participate in the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, a fundraiser for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. ByersStraus has advice for people with special needs who have talents they would like to explore. “Just be yourself. Just follow your heart and dream big,” she says.
Watch a video of Olivia Byers-Straus and Angela Rose Dorantes at www. sfchronicle.com/theregulars. The Regulars is a photo and video column that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in the Bay Area, caught in routine activities of modern urban life.