We are Art Spark Dance

Building A Community Where Everyone is Dancing

Did You Know? 

We are leading a national research project on creating barrier-free dance education for students with disabilities in the United States.

Each month we host Elements, a community dance class focused on people with disabilities, while welcoming all to explore movement with professional dance educators.

Since 2014, we’ve facilitated weekly movement classes at Rosedale School and created two original performances with the students.

Who We Are

We believe that everyone can dance.

We believe everyone can dance.
Art Spark Dance is a program of Art Spark Texas, a Texas-based nonprofit working at the intersection of arts, education, and disability. We champion accessibility in the arts through arts programming, advocacy, and collaboration. We spark meaningful change by empowering people with disabilities to explore, create, and lead. Co-founded by VSA Texas and Forklift Danceworks—and now fully supported by Art Spark Texas—we continue to expand our reach across Central Texas and beyond.

Dancers touching hands
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two dancers performing outside. One performer is a sit-down dancer and the other performer is using a guide cane.
dancers practicing in a dance studio.
Tanya Winters and Silva Laukkanen dancing on a train. Tanya holds hands with a passenger as Silva passing Tanya's crutches to another passenger.
Dancers performing in a gymnasium.
Silva Laukkanen and Tanya Winters performing in the woods. Silva is holding one of tanya's crutches and looks through it like a telescope.
dancers posing in a lane with one arm on the shoulder of the person in front of them.
Dancers performing outside in downtown Austin
Dancers practicing in a dance studio.
two dancers wrapped in an orange silk cloth embrace eachother.
Two wheelchair dancers side by side with one arm reaching out in front of them.
two dancers with and without disabilities perform on stage with red furniture.
three dancers with and without disabilities practice in a studio space. One dancer is leaping into the air.
two dancers with and without disabilities perform on stage. One dancer is on the ground and the other stands behind them. Both dancers are reaching one arm towards the ceiling.
four dancers with and without disabilities positioned side by side face away from the camera. two dancers on the left have one arm reaching up and the other arm stretched to the side.
A group of dancers with and without disabilities perform outside in front of a large building. The dancers are in various poses and wearing brightly colored clothing.
A group of 20 dancers with and without disabilities practice in a dimply lit studio space.
A dancer wearing a black hoodie poses in a desert landscape with a mountain in the distance.
A group of dancers with and without disabilities sitting in a circle listening to someone speak.

What We Do

01.

-We Empower

We believe everyone should have access to dance as an art form. We offer free and low-cost community classes, we create welcoming spaces where people feel comfortable, confident, and supported to move.

02.

-We Educate

We deliver trainings, classes, and conference presentations that reframe who can dance, where dance can happen, and how inclusive practices transform teaching and performance.

03.

-We Research

We conduct nationwide research in inclusive dance education and translate findings into action.

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Testimonials

I have never really seen or thought about how people whose bodies don’t fit what we consider the norm navigate dance, but seeing how you guys approached it was really eye opening.

The dance teacher keeps the mood light and fun no matter situations we may be encountering with students. My students all love her.

I appreciate your intensive efforts in creating this convening to address disability in dance education and bringing practitioners from many different backgrounds together in dialogue. Well-done!

I love how inclusive everyone is and how they are willing to meet us on our level. Everyone is extremely nice, always.

You were amazing in organizing and facilitating the meeting, … thoughtfulness in accessibility available to all participants. Thank you for everything!

Sign up for our monthly Art Spark Dance newsletter to learn about upcoming classes, performances, and other events.

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Tremendous thanks go to the talented photographers behind the incredible photos on our website: Camille Wheeler, Pat Berrett, Boye Nagle, Silva Laukkanen, and James Wilkus.

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