DANCERS’ CIRCLE OF INCLUSION BRINGS HOME MESSAGE OF OLYMPIC GAMES
Young people with intellectual disabilities trained hard for opening ceremony, writes Ramola Talwar Badam
Agroup of young people with intellectual disabilities bopped to the music, swayed to peppy tunes and kept time to the rhythm at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics IX Mena Games last night.
They held centre-stage during an eight-minute musical piece to reflect inclusion, as part of a troupe of professional dancers.
It took five days of intensive preparation, six hours of daily practice, plus commuting between Abu Dhabi and Dhabi for rehearsals, plus a lot of courage for the group to prepare their debut in front of thousands.
“I’m in a wheelchair so I never imagined I would ever be part of a dance performance and on a stage,” said Emirati Ahmed Al Qubaisi. “I realise I was a bit crazy to say I would be interested to perform. I usually stick out because of my wheelchair, but in this I feel part of a team.”
Another member of the troupe said team spirit carried them through. “It has been exhausting for me because it was a really long practice. But I don’t feel my disability any more. I feel like part of a team.If one of us dropped out, then the performance would be different. I can’t let my team down, so that keeps me moving.”
Big screens captured the dance that featured a circle of inclusion. It began with young Emiratis waiting for their friends to arrive at the airport. When the visitors trailing the suitcases arrived, they were greeted with high-fives from their friends, posed for selfies and then took part in a medley of dances using props such as colourful gym balls.
“It’s an eye-opening moment because people may think that people with intellectual disabilities will just come on stage and wave a bit to the crowd,” said Renate Baur-Richter, programme manager at Sedra Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Abu Dhabi that works to empower people with disabilities.
Ms Baur-Richter said: “But for this, they really had to put in a lot of work. It’s professional and they perform great. It’s also an opportunity through this project for them to extend their social network.
“It’s not just about being on stage but shows their ability to participate, and that is such a powerful thing.
“The idea was a beautiful concept to convey the story that Abu Dhabi and the UAE wants to welcome people with disabilities from all over the world. It’s really to convey through the performance that they are unified in a passion for sports and a more inclusive future for all.”
Eight volunteers from the centre trained with a professional troupe of dancers for the piece. The research centre Sedra works on the integration of people with disabilities both in schools and in the workplace.
“It proves that students with intellectual disability can work for six hours a day, be part of a full day of training and a long drive between the emirates. We just have to adapt to their way of learning. If you structure the training, everyone can participate and shine.”
The training also marked a milestone for some families because it helped them to understand that their children were capable of working on their own in a new environment.
Watching their children interact with people they did not know has made some families realise that vocational training and internships for the young adults are a workable option when the Games are over.
“The dancers adapted the training to the capability of each student and it was lovely to see them work with highly trained professionals in a unified performance,” Ms Baur-Richter said.
“The idea is that everyone can contribute. They have never worked together so we saw the power of team-building.”
The team had to take into account that the opening ceremony’s bright lights, loud music and flash photography from thousands of cameras and mobile phones would be intimidating.
“There is so much of sensory over-stimulation on stage that can make it stressful, so we were careful because there are so many influences they have to deal with,” Ms Baur-Richter said.