BALLET DES MOINES LAUNCHES BALLET WITHOUT BARRIERS

Partnerships with The Harkin Institute, Iowa School for the Deaf, ChildServe among others will create unprecedented access to the arts for the local disabled community

Des Moines, IA – Ballet Des Moines has announced the launch of their newest accessibility initiative Ballet without Barriers. Seeking to ensure the work of Ballet Des Moines is accessible to people with disabilities across the Greater Des Moines community, this company-wide, season-long program creates a library of resources and engagement opportunities that celebrate and explore the different perspectives from which audiences can approach performing arts, both on and off the stage.

“Dance is truly for everybody, and we are committed to not only opening the door, but to welcoming people of all abilities to experience ballet,” said Blaire Massa, CEO of Ballet Des Moines. “We are honored to be working alongside such impressive partners in this field to support and include the disabled community in our work.”

Ballet without Barriers will engage a large and diverse audience through a variety of mediums, allowing for participation at the theater, in the studio, or from home. Plans include adaptive dance classes, written and recorded narratives of each performance, a new sensory-friendly matinee performance of The Nutcracker, and events exploring how our senses impact our experience of art.

Partners of Ballet without Barriers include The Harkin Institute, the Iowa School for the Deaf, ChildServe, Variety, Iowa Radio Reading Information Services (IRIS), Dance without Limits, and Value Inclusion.

“I’m excited to see Ballet Des Moines take this important step toward making art in our community more accessible to disabled people,” said Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy at The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement. “It’s a great reminder that, among the many necessary pieces of disability advocacy, people with disabilities also want access to fun, access to recreation, access to culture, to music, to art, and all the other things that make us human. The Harkin Institute is proud to assist Ballet Des Moines on this journey.” 

In addition to program partners, Ballet Des Moines has curated an accessibility committee composed of community leaders and accessibility-focused organizations. The committee exists to inform best practices in creating and modifying arts integration, dance education programs, and performances  for people with disabilities.

The accessibility committee is comprised of: Daniel Van Sant (The Harkin Institute), Christopher Fears (Iowa Education for Deaf), Maggie Barsetti (ChildServe), Ashlea Lantz (Value Inclusion), Maryfrances Evan and Amy Davis (IRIS), Ann Ungs (Dance Without Limits), Wendy Ingham (Variety), Jill Wells (artist), and Josh Bodden (Ballet Des Moines).

Adaptive Dance Classes

This season, Ballet Des Moines will begin offering Pilates, Adaptive Dance, and Fundamentals of Movement classes to the public, both on and off-site. These opportunities will extend the transformative power of dance beyond the stage and bring its physical, emotional, and social benefits directly into the lives of those who need it most.

These classes will be appropriate for dancers of all ages and abilities, from older adults managing chronic conditions to those recovering from illness or injury. Participants will experience improvements in mobility, strength, balance, coordination, and confidence, all while fostering self-awareness and a sense of agency in their bodies. By incorporating gentle, low-impact movement rooted in classical and therapeutic practices, these offerings are truly accessible and adaptable to every body.

Classes will include:

Adaptive Dance for Older Adults: Movement for Parkinson’s, Neuropathy, Arthritis & Mobility Challenges, including chair-based classes

Fundamentals of Movement: Repatterning the Body for Strength, Awareness, and Well-Being

Strengthen | Align | Restore: Rooted in classical Mat Pilates, this all-levels class is designed to build core strength, improve postural alignment, increase flexibility, and support whole-body wellness through mindful movement

Savor the Senses: Sensory Dinners

Ballet without Barriers includes a new dining experience at the Ballet Des Moines Lauridsen Campus for Arts & Education. Two immersive events featuring a curated three-course dinner with wine pairings alongside a preview performance and exploration of the influence the senses have on our experience of live ballet performance.

September 11 with Tom Mattingly

Using Tom Mattingly’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and its thrilling musical score, guests will experience the separate elements of this work before seeing and discussing the impact and interplay the music and choreography have on each other.

November 9 with Eric Trope and Sarah Dornink

Guests will interpret elements of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker in a whole new light after exploring the quintessential ballet and all its variations with Artistic Director Eric Trope.

Accessible Performances

To make Ballet Des Moines’ performances more accessible to a broader community, each production will include written and recorded narratives describing the movement and sound in each ballet. Additionally, Ballet Des Moines is adding a sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker to its schedule in December, featuring softer lighting, lower sound levels, and a more flexible environment. 

More information about the Ballet without Barriers initiative, committee, partner organizations, resources and events can be found at www.balletdesmoines.org/ballet-without-barriers.