I have know the work of this organization for over 10 years. They produce a very high quality artistic product. They are also good stewards in the Atlanta dance community, supporting the community as a whole and colaborating with others.
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This organization allowed me to have increased clarity in a number of different areas. The first one is how every human being is capable of doing anything they set their minds to it. When one thinks about a "dancer" there is an immediate picture that comes to mind; for me was the ballet dacers I saw in a Nutcracker's performance. If you were not trained starting at 5 year old and kept a cookie cutter body shape you could never be a dancer. Well, now my world has totally changed when I see Douglas Scott the Artistic Director of FullRadiusDance integrate all kinds of dancers in the company. Half of the dancer use a wheelchair, I always tell the story of one of the dancers that uses a chair asking her moder to go to ballet classes when she was a little girl and her mother saying, girls in a "wheelchair" can not be dancers. The performances are inspiring and every time I see the Company on stage it re-energizes me by looking at the possibilities we all are capable for. The second area of impact was in team building. As I look at the process of new dancers coming into the Company I see a person with unique abilities (versus disabilities); these abilities grow stringer by everyone else understanding what every member of the company can do and maximizing as much as possible. The trust and dependency that the company members have is a great model as to how all of us should build teams. I have taken a new approach at work and I focus more on what people bring to our teams to see how that can be maximized for the better performance of the team.
I have been a fan of the organization for many years, and when I myself became a wheelchair user, I signed up for their summer classes in 2009. The patience and upbeat pace of Douglas as a teacher gave me my first taste of the true art form that their style of movement and dancing feels like. I had seen it from the audience, and through the help of the volunteer company participants, I had the opportunity to experience it for myself. In the later months I, along with a few others, were permitted to work out with the dancers on a weekly basis, donating their time and energy to us without reserve.
They can be beautiful, powerful, stunning, funny, sad, painful, and any number of other descriptions, but what they always are is what they try to be. In many ways, that is what I like the most about this company. Whatever the choreography is trying to say is written boldly through the movements. At the same time, there is sufficient abstraction to avoid the candy-like quality of miming, enough art to avoid simple eideticism. To the standard mechanisms of modern dance, this company adds the smoothness and flow afforded by wheelchairs. While on thought it may seem unnatural, the act can not be so construed. The added mode of movement is as powerful a tool as leaps and poses. To reduce this to a single phrase: "see them!"
I have been a volunteer with Full Radius Dance for several years, and have seen the organization grow tremendously in both reach and artistic quality over those years. With activities ranging from producing full-length concerts to offering community classes to educational programming, this organization has the potential to impact an incredibly large and diverse audience. Most outstanding, however, is their ongoing commitment to artistic integrity and execution of artistic excellence.
We were fortunate to have been in the audience for two Full Radius Dance performances. What enjoyment and surprise we received from watching the beauty, grace and athletic prowess of both the able-bodied dancers and those with disabilities. It was inspiring to watch the movements of all the dancers incorporated into wonderful choreographed dances. This company challenges conventional attitudes about limitations of those with disabilities. We hope their hard work can continue to educate all communities about the importance of the availability for all types of dancers to have an outlet for creative expression.
I was very moved with emotions after watching the dancers expedite each of their performances. It touched upon each of my senses. I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to view such a fine performance by this dance company. This dance company integrated physically able dancers and dancers with disabilities so beautifully, that the performance was one cohesive, flowing, professional and passionate production. I left the theater with a sense of awe and amazement. I wish everyone would have the opportunity to witness and experience Full Radius Dance Company.
I was first exposed to Full Radious Dance when they performed at another disability related event. One of the most significant contributions of this group is the inspiration they provide to new people with disabilities howing them that regardless of what you may have done before, you can continue to do it after a disability. Their dance, though tremendously profesional, is an equalizer that brings people without disabilities together with people who have disabilities. Their dance lights the space they are in, refusing that they remain in the background. Their dance instills confidence, independence and hope.
I would like to share my love for Full Radius Dance. I was a company member in 2004-2005 and danced with the company again in June 2009. Full Radius is passionate about bringing dance to all through performance and education. I helped teach dance workshops for children that were visually impaired as well as physically apt students throughout the state after school performances. All the students learned to be more positive about themselves and move better. As a performer with the company I don't know how many times I've heard audience members say "Wow that was trully inspirational." Full Radius makes you want to dance. Nicola Ayoub
I have been a board member of Full Radius Dance since 2006 and have observed many times the positive impact the company has when it performs. By integrating physically able bodied dancers and dancers with disabilities into the company, Full Radius Dance enhances and promotes dance from the community level up to the national level. It educates the viewing public and expands their perception of what dance is. I am very honored and privileged to be a part of a company that has such passion to the art form of dance. Douglas Scott, the company's founding director, and the company's dancers are all very inspiring to watch perform. They spearhead the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival every year and I greatly anticipate watching them perform this February 27th and 28th at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
I work in a Disability Services Office at a 2 year college and am an advisor for a club that supports students with disabilities. This club hosted a performance of Full Radius Dance in 2007. The performance was attended by staff, college students and high school students from the community. The majority of those in attendance including myself had never been exposed to a dance troup with able-bodied dancers and dancers in wheelchairs. The performance was held in a center where students gather between classes to eat and hang out and is usually a noisy place. But during Full Radius' performance, all eyes were fixed on the dancers. The comments afterward included, "That was amazing," and "I hope they come again." For myself personally who has had ballet training and have seen numerous dance performances, I was completely in awe. I totally forgot that I was watching dancers in wheelchairs. The way the chairs were integrated into the overall movement showed incredible creativity and even enhanced the overall flow of the movements. What I saw really exceeded my expectations. I know what it feels like to express my emotions through dance and to see persons in wheelchairs allowed to have the freedom to do the same made me excited for the dancers. They were allowed to look inward and at the same time be part of something bigger then themselves and it was very evident in there movements that this gave them great satisfaction. After Full Radius' Performance I felt energized at the possibilities for all humans to reach their full potential no matter what their circumstances. I also felt enriched to see how the human spirit cannot be held back. As the saying goes, "Where there is a will, there is a way," and Full RAdius Dance is opening that way to millions who thought it was impossible.