Introduction/Rationale: UpDown Funk, a Dance Troupe for adults with intellectual disabilities, was created to provide meaningful recreational experiences for individuals with Down syndrome and related disorders who experience occupational deprivation. Since 2018, the 30 member dance troupe has entertained audiences at local and statewide shows with rave reviews, becoming an anticipated attraction in their community.
Objectives: The troupe was launched to primarily provide physical activity, social participation, and fun to the participants and secondarily to educate the greater community about acceptance and inclusion.
Methods/Approach: To launch a dance troupe, the interprofessional collaboration was vital. Occupational therapy considerations included evaluating the context, client factors, and performance skills and patterns of the dancers. The professional dancer considered teaching strategies, music, movement demands, choreography, costumes, and partnering skills. The self-advocate brought motivation, leadership, and meaning to the troupe keeping the focus on the experience of the dancers and audience. With this collaboration, the troupe reached beyond performance capacity winning local talent shows.
Results/Practice implications: The approach used in developing the troupe has value for occupational therapy practice with lessons learned from the experience. These include individualizing the activity demands, setting the environment, keen selection of music with melody repetition, consistent progressions in movement training, staging of dancers strategically, choreography that highlights individual skills, and positioning the self-advocate in a leadership role.
Conclusion/Contribution to the occupational therapy profession: Occupational therapy practitioners aim to facilitate meaningful occupational experiences for individuals who require adaptations for effective recreational participation. Interprofessional collaborations are key to combining the unique skills of an occupational therapy, performance artists, and self-advocates for a successful endeavor.