Danielle
Gladstone and Jadry Gruen organize a dance-movement therapy workshop for individuals
ages 18 and older on the autism spectrum. This program is also open to people
with other developmental disabilities. Danielle and Jadry were inspired to
promote social development and companionship through movement.
“First of all, the Dance Class for Young Adults on the Autism
Spectrum and with Other Developmental Disabilities would never have been
possible without the ideas, enthusiasm and persistence of Jadry Gruen (School
of Medicine, class of 2018), who founded the class in 2015. Since then, it has
been a pleasure to be intimately involved with the class while it grows and
evolves. As the current leader of the program, I feel lucky both experiencing
and witnessing the human connections that emerge through movement. My
favorite part of the week is always the mirroring exercise during the biweekly
dance class. Dancers partner with volunteers from the medical school and
undergraduate campus, as well as aids and parents, and simply dance together.
The connections formed from looking each other in the eye, mirroring each
other's body movements, really seeing each other, are nothing short of amazing
to watch. Although some moments like these are calm and serious, we also have
lots of fun as a group, dancing and being silly to our favorite songs. This
year we moved into a new space at the Stony Brook Recreation Center, thanks to
the generosity of Marie Turchiano, the Associate Director for the Department of
Campus Recreation. There we have gained many new dancers and found new ways to
use the space and class time, like incorporating different styles of dance and
inviting other medical students and undergraduates to teach. Finally, I want to
thank the other students that make this group possible, as well as the numerous
dancers, their families, and their invaluable support staff that have joined us
in class over the last 2 years. This would never be what it is without all of
you!”
-Danielle Gladstone, Stony Brook Medicine Class of 2018
“I began the class as a small personal endeavor, one that has flourished in the years since due to the dedication of Danielle and medical and undergraduate student volunteers, the generosity of SBU faculty, and commitment of our wonderful dance class participants on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. It has been a huge privilege to work with all these people and to share my love of dance with them, and I am humbled by the creative force this group has generated. So bravo, Danielle! I cannot wait to see the feature and to hear about how the class continues to grow in the future!
-Jadry Gruen, Stony Brook Medicine Class of 2017
