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Boardman dance company offers classes for students with disabilities
By Bruce Walton
BOARDMAN
Township resident Dante Graziani, 20, started his third week of dance practice by stretching with his instructor, Paul Miletta, at the Limitless Dance Company at Torrie’s Academy of Dance.
Graziani may have a disability but lets nothing stop his passion for dance.
The Limitless Dance Company works with the academy of dance on Market Street and offers a wide variety of dance classes in various genres for people with disabilities.
Paul Miletta, coordinator and instructor for the academy, helped create the Limitless Dance Company with the academy’s director, Torrie Trella. Trella created Limitless Dance Company out of providing a class for a friend’s child with special needs earlier in the spring.
During the summer, the first classes had 20 students with instructors Miletta and Stephen Hall. As a graduate of Youngstown State University with a degree in special education, Miletta said he always has wanted to make a dance class for special-needs children and is proud to be with Limitless Dance.
“This gives them an opportunity to be structured and learn something in a structured environment, but to have fun with it,”
he said. “It’s all about having fun with it.”
The company has only four students for the fall classes, which Trella believes is part of the other extra-curricular activities children with special needs are in during the school year. Currently, the four don’t learn at the same time due to scheduling.
Graziani is starting at the beginner level, but Miletta said he’s progressing well. Lisa, Dante’s mother, sat at the side of the room watching as they went over the moves to the song “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE.
“He’s pretty good at watching the Internet and being able to learn a dance,” and now he gets to work with someone in person, learn a routine and remember it, she said.
Dante received a flier from the dance company about the special dance classes around the time of his graduation in May from Boardman High School, and his mother thought it would be a good idea.
Though turnout has been relatively low, Trella believes they can get more students as schedules begin to mellow out in the coming weeks.
The company already has applied to gain nonprofit status and is getting the word out through varioius outlets and by connecting with other organizations in the community for support.
The first class is free until Saturday, and then $25 per class afterward. For more information on Limitless Dance Company’s classes, contact LimitlessDance2016@hotmail.com or visit www.torriesacademyofdance.com.