The Down Syndrome Dance of Canada

The Down syndrome dance of Canada is a unique phenomenon, said Janine Kugler, the chair of the dance department at St. Boniface Catholic School in Victoria.

“It is a dance that was designed for adults and adults can do it,” Kuglers comments.

“But it is a wonderful thing for children to do.”

The Down and out dance, or the Dixie, is a choreographed dance with the dancers moving through an intricate dance sequence, with the participants stepping on a dolly.

The dolls are suspended over a water slide.

The dancing involves jumping, rolling, turning and dancing across a surface, Kugers comments.

Kuglings dancing is so diverse, that the students in her school are allowed to perform it with their families, and she hopes it can be a way for students to experience other people’s lives and be open to their culture.

“It is the kind of thing that kids love and they love to dance,” she says.

“I am not sure how many times a year we get the call that there is an issue of Down syndrome and we have to get out there and dance.”

In the Dixies world it is not about the parents.

It is about the children.

It was the kids who were the dancers.

It gives them the confidence that they can be themselves.””

I am really grateful that our children are able to dance in the D-and-outs world.

It gives them the confidence that they can be themselves.”

For more information, visit http://www.stboniface.ca/dixies.html