New dance studio meets special needs

Every day, Cassidy Giffin asks her mother what day of the week it is. Tuesday is the answer she wants because on Tuesdays she has dance class.

Her mother, Stefanie Giffin, said Cassidy frequently reminds her when dance class is, just in case she forgets.

"She looks forward to it every week, and she goes in her room and practices," Giffin said. "Every month when we start a new song, she wants to download it on her iPod."

Cassidy, 16, has her class at Dance Reflections studio, which opened in February. The studio caters to students with disabilities, like Cassidy, who has Down syndrome.

Owner Laynna Wiggins decided to open the studio on West 33rd Street and North Ridge Road after working during and after high school with Circle of Friends, a mentoring program that matches special education students with their regular education peers.

"The more and more I worked with the Circle of Friends program, the more I realized that it was a community that was neglected with the art of dance," Wiggins said.

Driving around at age 16 and wishing she could open a dance studio, Wiggins found her current location and thought it would be ideal. Now at 21, she has purchased the space and is committed to making the studio her livelihood.

"I'm planning on doing this for the rest of my life, so I'm going to do everything I can to just hopefully get as many kids in here as possible," she said.

For Wiggins, who dealt with depression and anxiety throughout her teens, dance became a leveling agent in her life, something she could turn to when she was happy or sad. She said she hoped this could also be the case for her students.

"Something about dance just made my expressions flow better," she said. "If I couldn't figure out what I was trying to say verbally, I could say it through movement."

Each month, Wiggins starts a four-week session in which her students learn one dance. She teaches four classes a week but expects that number to increase with more clients. Thirty-two students have joined the studio so far.

Wiggins described her class as "creative movement," a combination of different dance genres including jazz and hip-hop.

As Wiggins started her girls' class on Tuesday, she told them they were starting a new dance.

"Are you ready for it?" she asked.

"Oh, boy," said 18-year-old Maddie Foust, who was dancing and singing to the music.

As Wiggins taught, the studio was a mixture of concentration and fun as the girls copied her moves, giggling with each other at things they found funny.

Wiggins said her students surprise her by rising to the challenges she presents them.

"The very first week, I felt like I slowed down tempos," she said. "I slowed down moves, I half-timed everything and then I quickly realized that I couldn't do that. They were learning it too quickly, and they were really excelling at a fast rate."

Karen Gertsen, whose son Will Simpson, 12, takes classes at the studio, said most people respond to music, and children with disabilities are no different.

"This is nice to have a place where the class is tailored especially for them," she said.

When class finished, Cassidy ran to the lobby and hugged her mom, telling her about the new class song, a Lady Gaga tune. Walking out the studio door later, she was already excited for next Tuesday.

This story was originally published June 11, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "New dance studio meets special needs."