Dancers and Health Together provides missing links to access to dance movement, education about health for dancers and the health benefits of dance.
Our family has spent numerous years personally witnessing the power of movement, dance, and music as our son who has Asperger's Syndrome was able to overcome many obstacles of his Autism. While DAHT is still a small, young non-profit organization, the organization has provided a huge impact to numerous people through the passion and dedication of its CEO, Mary Lane Porter.
DAHT has sponsored many events and programs to provide opportunities for people regardless of their financial, mental, and physical abilities to experience the power of movement and dance. From workshops for aspiring dancers to a prom for special needs kids to educating others about the benefits of movement and dance, DAHT consistently exemplifies its mission - "To present opportunities that develop awareness of the mind and body connection through dance."
DHAT is a young organization with vision, purpose, energy and capacity. Expanding notion of who gets to dance and why it matters, DHAT is partnering to create programs for individuals living with disabilities, and finding ways for peopel with and without previous dance experience to celebrate, create, and connect through dance. Keep an eye out for this up and coming non-profit!
I've worked with this organization for a couple of years and enjoyed the programs and activities we've sponsored. The goals of this organization revolve around inclusion and healthy programs to allow anybody to experience dance and movement. Mary Lane is very talented and giving person who excels at all she does.
Mary Lane is a true one of a kind super star. She is always looking for new ways to become involved with helping her community become a better place through both DAHT and as a personal vendetta. She is hard working and DAHT is proof of that. I have personally watched changes DAHT has made in the lives of those in need and I admire her tenacity when it comes to making the world a better place through the art of movement :)
Mary Lane is inspirational in the dance industry. Her love for the arts led her to create DAHT, inc. which is helping the community of Phoenix and Arizona.
As a dance professional from Phoenix, I've had the joy of working with and dancing for DAHT. In particular, they put on an event called Arizona's Got Dance that features as MANY genres as possible in one weekend. Keeping the Phoenix dance scene diverse yet cohesive is something we've been trying to do for years and finally, DAHT has really brought us together. Thank you Mary Lane and your crew for connecting us and keeping us humble and appreciative of each other year after year at this incredible event!
Mary Lane's idea to bring dance and health together has been nothing short of transformational for all those who have been able to participate in one of DAHT's events. Her energy, passion, creativity, and drive to educate people about the power of the mind/body connection through dance is a refreshingly healthy and user friendly approach to breaking through emotional and/or physical handicaps. Under Mary Lane's leadership, she and a staff of dedicated volunteers are helping DAHT bring about change one dance at a time.
DAHT continues to find ways to help the community in Phoenix and surrounding areas. Their workshops are great and affordable, their showcase gives great dancers a forum, and their classes for those needing another voice are caring and compassionate. Even their fundraiser was fun and had a lot to offer with mini classes, dance battles and lots of auction items. With new activities all the time, those in the community should keep an eye out for what's new. Always open to new ideas, Mary Lane and her board strive to further their mission.
Previous Stories
DAHT brings an important message to people of today and that is reminding us about the mind and body connection. In their workshops, performances and classes, their message continues to help us integrate our bodies and minds to advance the health of the individual. For those who have difficulty expressing themselves, the language of movement is another way to communicate their innermost thoughts and feelings. Their drive to pursue helping special needs children made me want to be involved financially.
DAHT is an outstanding organization, and I have witnessed it go from an idea to a reality. The founder is approachable, open-minded and never fails to articulate how dance can play in anybody's life. This organization provides testimonies of dance contributing to an individual's (return to a) sense well-being, and constantly strives to expand awareness and experience of dance to it's immediate community and beyond.
I have attended multiple DAHT Dance workshops and they are always AWESOME! DAHT brings in the best instructors and leaders in the dance community to teach at the workshops and I've never been disappointed. Plus, their class rates are super affordable! I love DAHT!
DAHT is an amazing organization. Not only does this organization add so much to the dance community in Arizona, but it also cares about the entire community. DAHT works hard to promote a healthy lifestyle that is filled with the joy of dance. I have had the opportunity to work with this organization before and it is always rewarding. What an incredibly passionate organization!
I am so impressed with DAHT. I have studdied both dance and kinesiology and believe DAHT to be extremely innovative and ahead of its time. Not only is it a wonderful and fun experience to be involved in this organization, but the idea behind it is noteworthy. The ability for dance to heal and bring change in the boy through increased awareness and consciousness is what many people need and have used to help them cope with not only physical but emotional and mental issues as well. For me one of the great links through dance and health is a spiritual one that heals front he inside out, which I believe to be the most important kind of healing that can be done. Soul healing :). I am very grateful to have been involved in suh an amazing organization!
Mary Lane graciously agreed to serve as a guest artist for a summer dance program I organized in the Alhambra School District in Phoenix. She taught and facilitated a community dance based Jazz class for a class of about 30 students most with limited prior dance training ranging in ages from 6 to 14. The class was well structured and engaging. The students participated in creative movement games that got them moving and helped build a sense of community by reenforcing each others names through the use of the gesture name game tool. The students then went through a fun simple and yet rigorous warm up that emphasized fitness and fun. She is very knowledgeable on the subject of dance in general and particularly the style she was teaching. She directed the class well and passes on some fundamental knowledge of this particular style of dance. She taught a combination all the kids could learn and enjoy and facilitated a show and tell like performance among the students in the class to boost that sense of community. Parents, schools staff and students alike really enjoyed her class and commented to me after how well they thought the experience went. I am grateful to DAHT for providing this service for our program.
Mary Lane has inspired many with her initiatives in the field of dance and health. It seems as if there is nothing stopping her from pursuing her dreams and goals. She is young yet wise and knowledgeable with a great since of humility and thirst for knowledge.
Mary Lane and the volunteers at DAHT are enthusiastic, effective, and visionary promoters of dance and health. I have been on the Board at DAHT for 2 years and have seen first-hand the real impact the organization is making in the Phoenix-area community and I believe there are big things ahead for this group.
DHAT is a progressive new non-profit with a visionary young leader Mary Lane Porter. It is deeply committed to the powerful act of dancing, and works to bring dance to multiple communities regardless of physical or economic capacities. The need to have healthy physical practices that build individuals and communities is going to become evermore essential as our nation faces this obesity epidemic. This is an organization to watch!
DAHT, Inc. is an amazing organization. The people of DAHT truly want to help spread the message that the mind-body connection can heal aspects of our everyday lives that modern medicine cannot. DAHT is the life's work of Mary Lane Porter and a truly amazing group. I hope everyone can eventually know the benefits of DAHT and the inspiring altruism of Mary Lane.
Dancers and Healthcare Together (DAHT) was founded by Mary Lane Porter, a young woman who is bursting with talent, creativity, and a drive to bring her love of dance into the lives of children and adults, alike, who are facing challenges as a result of mental health and/or medical conditions. The beauty of DAHT is that it accesses the strengths of the population it serves; for so many people, adversity in the form of physical, emotional, and/or behavioral issues can be debilitating and traditional medicine and talk therapy, alone, may not be enough to enhance the quality of their lives. Through DAHT, clients learn how to see beyond their limitations and experience themselves in a creative context that unlocks pain and depression and makes room for joy and hope. The healing power in joy and hope is limitless. DAHT, and the leadership behind it, have the power to change the world one dance at a time. What a gift to communities everywhere!