UND CONNECT project brings line dancing to students with visual impairments
‘Dance Like No One’s Watching’ brings dance, play and connection to students at School for the Blind
From “Cotton-Eyed Joe” to “Fishing in the Dark,” line dancing has long been a staple of middle school gymnasiums — simple, structured and easy to learn. But at the North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind (NDVS/SB), line dancing has taken on a new life thanks to a UND CONNECT project that’s making dancing more inclusive, one step and clap at a time.
“Dance Like No One’s Watching” is a collaborative effort between the departments of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy, and North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind. Funded through the UND Provost’s Office and the Gibbens Memorial Grant, which also provided NDVS/SB with play equipment, the program is meant to help students with visual impairment improve motor, spatial orientation and social skills.
“We wanted to apply our academic knowledge to the real world — to help students who may not always get to enjoy physical activity the same way we do,” said Harry Liu, assistant professor of kinesiology and co-lead on the project.
The program began last fall after Liu reached out to NDVS/SB with an idea that he and Jessica Zorn, faculty resident in Physical Therapy, had created. Cindy Williams, coordinator of programs at NDVS/SB, said she was enthusiastic from the start.
“We’ve worked with UND’s Kinesiology department before on physical activity stations, so when Harry reached out about the line dancing, we were super excited,” Williams said. “Anything we can do to get our students moving and expose them to different forms of physical activity is a good thing.”
Zorn agreed. Plus, “line dancing is something that everyone can do, no matter your experience,” she said. “It’s fun, it’s communal and it helps students connect with their classmates.”
Zorn is no stranger to line dancing. She has been a part of a club that meets in East Grand Forks for some time. So, when the idea to bring dancing to NDVS/SB arose, she knew line dancing would be the perfect fit.
The project’s name — “Dance Like No One’s Watching” — was coined by Zorn to communicate the team’s goal of creating an environment where students can feel free to move and have fun without judgment.
“Even though line dancing is structured, it lets students move freely and have fun,” said Liu. “It’s exactly the environment we wanted to create.”
Students at NDVS/SB have visual impairments ranging from low vision to complete blindness, which makes traditional forms of dance more difficult to describe or follow. But line dancing, Williams said, is well-suited to their needs because of its more structured qualities.
“With line dancing, we can give verbal prompts like ‘step to the left together’ or ‘turn right,’” she said. “There’s a structure to it that really supports their spatial orientation and mobility skills. It’s a perfect fit for us.”
Graduate student Wei Mao, a first-year student in the Kinesiology and the project’s primary dance instructor, said working with the students has been meaningful and eye-opening.
Mao has been a lifelong dancer and was more than happy to help teach the students at NDVS/SB. Moreover, as an international student new to the University and Grand Forks, she was looking forward to connecting with the community in a meaningful way.
“This is my first experience teaching students with visual impairments,” Mao said. “One girl came up and hugged me after class and said, ‘Thank you so much.’ That moment really stuck with me — it reminded me that we’re doing something that’s really meaningful.”
Though some students have been apprehensive to get their groove on, Williams said she’s seen several of them come out of their shell through the process.
“At first, they were like, ‘What’s that?’ when we told them UND was coming to do line dancing,” Williams said. “Now they get excited about it. Some even ask about it if the schedule changes.”
In one of the group’s recent sessions, a student who had been shy for months partnered with a volunteer from the UND Swing Dance Club and performed a swing dance for these classmates. This, Williams said, was a pleasant surprise and showed the impact the project has had on students.
“He just found his rhythm that night — everything clicked,” Williams said with a laugh. “Harry recorded it, and we sent the video to his parents. He was so proud of himself, and his parents were thrilled. That really stuck with me.”
Funding through the Gibbens Memorial Grant — which Zorn applied through the School of Medicine & Health Sciences on behalf of the NDVS/SB — made collaboration with the school possible. And, in addition to dance instruction sessions, the team was also able to use their UND CONNECT funding to purchase accessible sports equipment such as frisbee golf and bocce ball sets for the school, which the students are already enjoying.
“We’re already putting the equipment to use,” Williams said. “This week, the students have been playing bocce ball and disc golf during activity time, and they’re loving it. Just seeing them enjoy themselves outdoors and trying new things is wonderful.”
The extra energy brought by volunteers from the UND Swing Dance Club also has made the experience a memorable one for the students and instructors.
“The UND students bring a special energy with them,” said Williams. “They pass that on to our students, and that’s a beautiful thing to see.”
“This collaboration with UND has just worked out wonderfully,” Williams added. “It’s benefited our students immensely — and it’s good to see them moving, learning new skills and gaining that confidence.”
