Adaptive BrainDance (Summer)
Adults | Registration opens 5/14/2026 8:00 AM PDT
Adaptive BrainDance is for students of all abilities/disabilities. This creative dance class is filled with mindful support and open spaces to develop body awareness and experience social-emotional learning. The neurodevelopmental movement patterns of the BrainDance bring focus to our bodies and minds. We celebrate personal creativity and uniqueness as we navigate movement together. There are opportunities in class to reflect, share, and participate in active, ongoing conversations about how our bodies individually experience movement. We collectively investigate dance as an internal and external experience using supportive language, images, storytelling, and visualization to guide us. Participants are welcome to bring support in the form of family or staff to aid their participation.
This class is FREE!
- This class is being taught in person. Students should wear comfortable clothes to move in.
Joel Nyland
Joel has been dancing since age 3 and has been a leader in our Adaptive Dance program since it began. Joel shares: “I am a twenty-three year old dancer and song writer. I have danced mostly in my imagination my whole life because my brain functions differently and my body does not follow its instructions. Learning the BrainDance has increased my ability to move my body. I love helping others see the power of dance.”
A daily advocate for the spelling community, Joel is a “Spellebrity Ambassador” for the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC). Joel spells, “I am proud to use a letterboard to communicate” to advocate that nonspeaking people need to be recognized as intelligent human beings. Joel’s words and actions remind others to be kind and useful. He has performed his original songs in the Neurolyrical Café and at Boards & Chords. His first full album, Presume Competency, featuring Joel’s songs with contributions by Caden Rainey is available on Amazon Music and iTunes. His second album, Sounds of Gratitude, is available on many platforms including YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Michaela Summers
Michaela Summers is passionate about creating inclusive, accessible, and student-centered dance experiences for learners of all ages and abilities. She holds an MA in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado and a BA in Theater Arts from Azusa Pacific University, and studied ballet at both Palomar College and Citrus College. Michaela taught Creative Movement to PK–6th grade students over the last 8 years as the Performing Arts Teacher at Echo Horizon School in Culver City, California. Her experience includes working with deaf and hard of hearing students in PK–6th grade, as well as teaching adaptive dance classes for teens and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her teaching philosophy centers student voice, creativity, and community connection. Michaela believes accessible dance education empowers students to express their identities, build confidence, and experience belonging through movement.