{"id":4935,"date":"2025-04-07T12:39:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T16:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ehu.irn.temporary.site\/?p=4935"},"modified":"2025-04-07T12:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T16:44:13","slug":"how-dance-empowers-kids-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/how-dance-empowers-kids-with-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dance Empowers Kids with Autism: SPARTA Autism at the Kids Breaking League NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DH9IRzrh-jC\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DH9IRzrh-jC\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DH9IRzrh-jC\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by SpartaGiftShop (@spartagiftshop)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>SPARTA Autism had the incredible opportunity to attend the <strong>Kids Breaking League (KBL) competition<\/strong> in Harlem, NYC. The energy in the room was electric as young dancers gave their all, showing off their incredible breakdancing skills. From powerful headspins to intricate footwork, the dedication and passion of these kids were truly inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>But we weren\u2019t just there to watch the competition\u2014we were there to <strong>raise awareness about Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) and fundraise for our program<\/strong>. With our table set up, we had the chance to engage with attendees, share research-backed insights on the benefits of dance for children with autism, and connect with families and community members. The response was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing just how powerful dance can be as a tool for growth and expression.<\/p>\n<h3>Dance as Therapy: The Science Behind the Movement<\/h3>\n<p>At SPARTA Autism, we\u2019ve seen firsthand how dance can support children with autism. Research shows that <strong>Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP)<\/strong> can improve motor skills, enhance social interactions, and provide a creative outlet for children with autism. By using techniques like mirroring, where a therapist reflects a child\u2019s movements, DMP fosters connection and self-expression in ways that traditional therapies sometimes can\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>At the KBL competition, we handed out a postcard summarizing this vital research, helping attendees understand how dance is being integrated into autism therapy. You can check out more about DMP and our flyer <a>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>SPARTA Autism &amp; Dance: A Tradition of Movement<\/h3>\n<p>Our organization has long embraced dance as a way to help our students connect and grow. In our <strong>Greek program<\/strong>, we taught our students a traditional Greek dance where everyone held hands and moved in a circle to a set of step movements\u2014fostering teamwork, rhythm, and cultural appreciation.<\/p>\n<p>Closer to home in <strong>\u039d\u03ad\u03b1 \u03a5\u03cc\u03c1\u03ba\u03b7<\/strong>, our students learned the <strong>Cuban Shuffle<\/strong>, a fun, structured line dance that they performed at our <strong>Kidz Night Out Autism event in Brooklyn in June 2024<\/strong>. Seeing our students gain confidence and joy through movement has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our program.<\/p>\n<h3>Bringing the Community Together<\/h3>\n<p>One of the highlights of our day at KBL was spending time with <strong>Kid Glyde<\/strong>, the passionate leader behind the local Harlem KBL program, which is part of a nationwide movement. His commitment to empowering kids through breakdancing aligns perfectly with our mission at SPARTA Autism\u2014to use movement as a bridge for growth, learning, and self-expression.<\/p>\n<p>We captured the incredible energy of the event and our interactions with Kid Glyde in a special video, which you can watch <a>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Join Us in Making a Difference<\/h3>\n<p>This event was a perfect example of how dance brings people together, breaks barriers, and creates lasting change. At SPARTA Autism, we are committed to expanding access to programs that incorporate movement-based therapy for children with autism. If you believe in the power of dance and want to support our mission, consider <strong>donating or getting involved<\/strong> with SPARTA Autism today.<\/p>\n<p>Together, we can keep kids moving, learning, and thriving\u2014one step at a time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ehu.irn.temporary.site\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donate Now<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/ehu.irn.temporary.site\/our-mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u039c\u03ac\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c3\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn more about Dance Movement Therapy (DMP) and how it helps kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asd-stories","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4935"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4983,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935\/revisions\/4983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparta-autism.org\/el\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}