Imagine a room of full of laughter, dance and song. That is the soundtrack for the MAGIC dance class happening every Monday in the ACES San Jose office. ACES is excited about our new partnership with MAGIC Dance Arts, a recreational program that provides Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) friendly dance classes to our children. MAGIC dance and ACES have come together with a shared goal of enriching the lives of our children and families by exposing them to an atmosphere filled with music, art and movement. Some of our children may not be able to access community-based programs such as music or dance classes due to auditory-sensitivity or behavioral concerns. MAGIC Dance Arts classes provide a welcoming, child-friendly and supportive environment for our young children to experience dance, music and most of all fun.

Each MAGIC dance class begins with a movement song to help our children prepare for the start of class, followed by a greeting song where each of the children introduce themselves to the class. Every part of class is paired with movement, music and props. Children are encouraged to participate as much as possible by our ACES staff members and MAGIC Dance Arts instructors; however, children are able to take breaks if needed. Each child has a trained behavior interventionist with them during the MAGIC Dance Arts class to promote learning and engagement as well as positive behaviors such as following multi-step directions and social interaction with others.

Engagement with peers and coordination can be very difficult for a child with ASD yet the MAGIC Dance Arts class creates a creative space to enhance social skills, communication and motor development for our children. Our first 10-week class has been a success and ACES is looking forward to continuing its partnership with MAGIC Dance Arts by offering more classes in the future!