Jasmine's Beat®- An Adaptive Dance Company for Persons of All Abilities

We’ve added a new addition to our Jasmine’s Beat® Adaptive Fusion classes! TAP! As exciting as it sounds, you may be wondering how it will help your neurodiverse loved one. There are so many ways we can modify and adapt this portion of our class. The best part about this summer is that it will be taught by a fellow Recreational Therapist, Caroline Graves, who has many years of experience with tap, among other dance styles as well. How can Tap benefit your child’s development?

* Tap Dance engages many parts of the brain and helps to improve the capacity for learning.

*Percussion instruments like Tap shoes help students develop coordination and gross motor skills.

*Tap classes thrive on rhythmic harmony or understanding individual parts of a whole, and improves musicality.

*The musical training in tap, as well as other dance styles, has been found to improve overall academic achievements.

*Students face and conquer challenges and improve self-esteem in a group setting.

*Students improve balance, pointing and flexion of the feet.

It’s not too late to join us! Just come on down to Next Step Dance at The Star in Frisco, and come find out what all the buzz is about!

If you are like me and have been having issues sleeping this past year, you are NOT ALONE!  Simply staying to specific places have an effect on the brain and body as well.  Here are a few tips I’ve been given along the way.

1. Sleep routine.  Have a pre-bedtime routine every night.  It triggers the brain to start calming down.
2. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.  All interrupt quality of sleep.
3. Use the bed only for sleeping.  Keep work and T.V. off of it. This one is a tough one for me!
4. Having a hot bath 1-2 hours before bed will raise your body temperature, causing you to feel sleepy as your body temperature drops again.
5. Exercise, stretch & eat light before bed.
6. Darker and cooler space work best for relaxing.
7. Try to get some Vitamin D from sunlight every day!  This effect can be seen in toddlers as soon as they have a couple hours in the sun how quickly they nap afterwards.  It’s the same for adults!
8. Affirmations and not thinking about stressful items in the middle of sleep. There is a “5 second hack” I recently learned about.  Once the stressful or distracting thoughts come into the forefront of your mind, count out loud “1,2,3,4,5” and refocus on what you need to think about, i.e., sleep, comforting thoughts, affirmations, etc. It really does work!  Thinking about how to positively uplift your day or week in order to create or meet your affirmations is a great last thought of the day.
9. Using white noise or guided meditation without looking at a blue screen can help.  Some of my kids rely on this to calm down quicker for the night.  This is also a great way to encourage closing the eyes and resting them.
10. Journal or talk to someone.  Having an outlet about your thoughts and feelings to a third party with no judgement is super important.  Can’t get a person? Start journaling.  It’s a great way to re-prioritize your wants versus needs and helps you realize your sleep is way more important than you think.

~Hope this helps you get some re-energizing Z’s tonight!~

Thanksgiving break is around the way and here’s a great way to have some family fun! Watch a show about Moana & friends from the comfort of your laptop! Go to www.ntpa.org/starcatchers to purchase your tickets for “The Wayfinder”! We had the pleasure of choreographing and assistant directing this show. The hard work of these actors is undeniable! Don’t miss it! This weekend only!

Adaptive Fusion Dance involves including many different types of dance styles, techniques, and music. Jasmine’s Beat recognizes this form of instruction and uses an introductory level of these for most adaptive fusion dance classes provided. Currently, adaptive fusion dance has taken choreography based on foundations of ballet, jazz, bollywood, and hip-hop. We are currently looking for ways to include tap, ballroom, african dance, polynesian dance, and many others in the future. Adaptive Fusion Dance also uses contemporary music as well as traditional dance music for instruction, as well as recitals. Adaptive Fusion Dance also welcomes inclusivity of all abilities and all ages, therefore promoting inclusion towards all dance arenas. Whether you’re in a wheelchair/bed or if you’re physically able but need more mental breaks, this class is adapted for you! Ideas/Questions regarding this? Feel free to reach out to us: jasminesbeat@gmail.com.