Fountain Lake to host sixth annual I Can! Dance with the Stars
I Can! Dancers will take to the stage to dance with celebrities for the sixth annual I Can! Dance with the Stars at 3 p.m. Nov. 12 at Fountain Lake High School.
I Can! Dance is a nonprofit program offering dance classes to children with special needs. Four of the 11 I Can! Dance classes from around the state will perform at the event, including students from the Fountain Lake School District, Hot Springs Junior Academy, and Arkadelphia at Dance-Praize.
Area celebrities include state Rep. Les Warren, R-District 25; ADE Special Education Division Manager Lisa Haley; KVRE’s Nancy Carlton; Miss Henderson State University Olivia Moore; and Miss Wheelchair Arkansas Tiffany Allen.
Each class has been working on a routine for 10 weeks and is now ready to perform, a news release said. The recital is free and open to the public.
The I CAN! Dance class began when 2-year-old Katie Mayberry, born with spina bifida and mobile through the use of a wheelchair, asked her mother if she could take a dance class like her big sister, Ellie, the release said. Her mother, Julie, replied, “When you turn 3.” She thought her daughter would forget about it, but when Katie turned 3 years old she asked her mother again, and Julie knew she had to find other children with disabilities to form a dance class.
The first class began in 2005 with two students and has now grown to include seven different locations and 11 special needs dance classes. Each class has around 10 children, ages 4 to adult, with disabilities including spina bifida, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental delays.
The classes also include dancing “buddies.” These are children, ages 10 to adult, who assist with children in need of one-on-one attention. Some need help moving their arms and wheelchairs, while others need help focusing their attention. Some of the buddies are siblings to the children, allowing these families to enjoy an activity together.