ORLANDO, Fla. – There are some new ballerinas in town thanks to a new partnership of Orlando Health and Orlando Ballet.
Children with special needs are learning the basics of ballet and how to express themselves through dance with a unique dance workshop.
The program, called "Come Dance With Us!" is headed by Orlando Ballet director and several company dancers.
Their goal is to help children from 3 to 6 both physically and mentally. The dancers will be working to help the children not only build mobility, but also build confidence and independence.
"There is something about dance that is magical and find that magic for everybody is so special," said Dierdre Miles Burger director of the Orlando Ballet School.
The program means a lot to the children, but also to the parents who are able to watch their children flourish during the workshop.
"You think my daughter's never going to walk, she's never going to be able to dance. When the opportunity arose for her to be a part of this workshop I had to jump on it, because I never in a million years thought I would see her in a ballet," said Ninoshka Goire, mother of one of the participants.
Orlando Ballet will host several workshops for the children. After the final workshop, the newly trained ballerinas will show off their skills and perform a dance to an original score from "Beauty and Beast." in preparation for an even bigger surprise.
The tiny ballerinas will then get to watch the professionals at work, when they watch "Beauty and the Beast" at the Dr. Phillips Center. There, they'll get to go backstage to visit with the stars of the show.
"It's for the kids. We want them to have fun, to feel like dancers for the day, and to feel like they are very special," Burger stated.