Talented special needs dancers amaze in ballet

PHOENIX - It's a world famous story turned ballet, but with a different twist in the Valley; some of the dancers are as young as 3 years old, and many have a disability.

The Ballet Academy of Arizona put on a performance of Cinderella Saturday night.

The curtain rose on a storybook ballet at the Herberger Theater in downtown Phoenix. The performers danced out, as a full house of hundreds watched in anticipation.

The kids aren't professionals, but they are all stars in their own right. Their parents and instructors say they work as hard as anyone else, some even harder.

"It takes so much just [for them] to gain the basic skills to walk, sit, and stand up," mother Kathy Suszczewicz said.

What really sets the ballet apart from others is the cast; many of the children have disabilities, although from the smiles on their faces, you know they are not letting it hold them back.

"They're being able to shine, to dance, to move, to show what they are with everybody else inclusive; not special, not put aside, but together," says mother Suzy Richardson.

The youngest children are guided through the dances by the older performers. Some of them, like Benjamin Shrader, have special needs of their own.

"It's such a great blessing from God to be able to work with all of these special needs kids," Shrader said. “It’s an absolute blast to know that you’re helping make dreams come true.”

The dancers, dressed as fairies, princesses and lady bugs all wear ballet shoes. Although some of the kids are confined to wheelchairs, they all dance with grace.

As the parents of the dancers will attest to, fairytales don't just happen in the movies and in books, for the kids, they lived one out on stage.

"It’s a life changing experience I'll never forget, and they'll never forget," Richardson said.

The Ballet Academy of Arizona is a non-profit that depends on donations to keep its performances and programs running. For more information on them, visit their website.