#FacesOfBalletPgh: Aditi Kumar
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Adaptive Dance student
On a Saturday afternoon in March, eight-year-old Aditi Kumar walks through the front doors of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Studios with a spring in her step.
“I can’t believe this is my last ballet class,” she says wistfully, smiling up at her father, Kumar Sankaranarayan.
Her father returns the smile, reminding her that it’s just the end of her second “dance season,” but not the last class she’ll take. Aditi is part of PBT’s Adaptive Dance classes, a specialized class series developed for students with special needs. The 10-week class meets weekly on Saturdays at PBT Studios, where they learn ballet basics and modified choreography from classic ballets like The Nutcracker.
Simply put, Aditi says that dancing makes her feel happy.
And her joy is apparent.
As soon as she sets foot in the studio she’s off – chasséing large circles around the studio, and counting off each movement as she goes. Before class has even started, she announces that she’s glided through more than 50. It’s a talent that earned her the rank of “Chassé Queen” in the class.
“I love dancing,” she said.
But at one time, her parents questioned whether she would ever walk. Aditi has been diagnosed with Right Hemiplegia, a type of Cerebral Palsy, which is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth.
“She likes it, which is a great thing. She looks forward to coming here. I think she genuinely likes the music,” Sankaranarayan says.
First and foremost, Aditi’s parents say that dancing brings her joy. But they think it also serves as a form of physical therapy rolled in with the art form.
“It’s a great feeling. Especially with her condition, we were not even sure whether she would walk, so to see her do some of the intricate dance movements is very satisfying to say the least,” Sankaranarayan says. “For example, holding the barre and going onto her tippy toes, for her condition it’s a very difficult thing to do. That is something she learned here. She has made good progress.”
And that’s not all Aditi has learned.
She ticks off a list of her favorite movements: Plie, saute, chassé. The french terminology rolls off her tongue, and a smile lights up her face. Her biggest accomplishment? The grand battement. And tiptoeing and jumping along the dots never disappoints.
“I love Miss Kaila and Miss Jamie,” she says.
Sankaranarayan says Aditi also loves being part of a group activity, making new friends and getting to know her instructors, Jamie Murphy and Kaila Lewis.
“It takes a lot of patience and passion on the part of the teachers. They’re awesome. You can see they’re doing it with passion,” Sankaranarayan says. “As a parent of a child with special needs, we really appreciate that Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is doing a program like this, which gives kids an opportunity to experience an art like this.”
We’re celebrating diverse, inspiring dance stories all month long. Join the dialogue and follow the series at #FacesOfBalletPgh.