BEAVERCREEK, Ohio — Expressing yourself through dance is what every dance instructor hopes to pass along to their students.
But after a Beavercreek instructor found a group was missing the chance to dance, he made sure it was possible for people of all abilities to show their moves.
What You Need To Know
- Quest Dance Center created Special Forces several years ago
- Special Forces is a class designed specifically for kids with special needs
- Kallie Webb loves to dance but this is the first place she's been able to dance with an organized class
- Parents say Special Forces has given their children more confidence
Before each dance practice it’s important to stretch and, of course, get your hair just right.
Kallie Webb said this room has become a safe space for her to express herself.
For Kallie and her classmates its never been truer.
The Special Forces dance group is made up of students with special needs.
Kallie calls it her family.
“I’m so happy for my family,” Kallie said.
And while family to Kallie is important, she also said: “I love my mom and my mom’s so nice.”
This second family has allowed her to open up and be more confident.
“It’s beautiful!" said Toya Webb, Kallie's mom. "It makes me a little emotional because it’s what she enjoys doing so I’m glad there is a dance class that is specifically geared for her to be able to come alive in something that she loves.”
Toya said her daughter has always loved to dance, but there’s never been a place to go until now.
“It means a lot," Toya said. "It means safety, it means inclusion, it means love. These kids are just full of so much love and joy.”
And that’s exactly why Richie McKeever, the owner of Quest Dance Center, created Special Forces.
“This is amazing," McKeever said. "This is the happiest a person can be.”
He said after some research, he had a hard time finding dance classes for kids with special needs.
So he created it himself.
“We want to make sure every kid has a chance to dance regardless of their disability," he said.
And while McKeever always has a good time dancing, he knows it’s more than that for these kids.
“It really just opens them up to a whole new world that they might not have been subject to regularly," McKeever said. "The feeling of watching these guys dance and perform is just unreal. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”
And he’s grateful to share the experience with them.
Kallie said she’s glad to be a part of it too.