The ISU Dance Team rushed at the chance to volunteer with a program that gave kids with special needs the opportunity to dance.

On Sunday, March 3, 2013, the dance team worked with Dance Without Limits, a program through Ballet Des Moines that was created by Monica Peltz, a Des Moines dance teacher, and Ann Ungs, a pediatric physical therapist.

“We started about three years ago with the premise of starting a little ballet class that was not physical therapy, but was actually fun and a chance for every kid to dance if they wanted to because I think everybody should dance,” Peltz said.

The idea of the program was not only to help out these kids and make them feel the happiness that comes along with dancing but also to give other dancers the opportunity to volunteer.

“We wanted dancers that are in Ballet Des Moines or student dancers from anywhere in the community to have a chance to volunteer as a partner with the students of this class. … We try to give every student a one-on-one. There’s definitely a two-fold benefit there, not just for the students, but also for the volunteers to learn about teaching and giving,” Peltz said.

For 20 years, Peltz has taught dance to kids in the Des Moines area, and one of her old students is now a member of the ISU Dance Team.

“The dance team likes to volunteer with kids, because we can tell that they really appreciate it. We’re always looking for ways to help out the community, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so,” said Taylor Martz, senior in accounting.

At the event, the team taught three classes, which were at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

“I think the Dance Without Limits program is an absolutely amazing program. To give those kids the opportunity to be able to engage in activity and dance at the same time is so awesome,” said Sarah Clark, Martz’s teammate and senior in journalism and mass communication.

The dance team plans to volunteer with the program again, according to Martz. For those who have worked with Dance Without Limits, the program has proved to be very rewarding.

“I really wanted this program to be a place where we don’t turn anyone away, and it has been incredible,” Peltz said. “We have heard more than once ‘I’m dancing,’ ‘I’m a ballerina,’ ‘I can’t believe I can do this,’ and sometimes, depending on the child, the reaction is only with their parents or only at home, but they do something at home to show that they love it. “

For Peltz, Dance Without Limits has become so much more than just dance classes.

“The most rewarding thing about the program is how the Dance Without Limits community has turned into a family; not just the students, but the volunteers, the parents and the teachers,” Peltz said. “The whole thing has become more than dance classes; it has become a really amazing, beautiful group of people that I’m really proud to be a part of.”

Peltz has become very passionate about the program and its meaning.

“You dream of a student that maybe has never felt what it feels like to dance, and now they are able to because of this program,” Peltz said.

For more information on how to get involved with the program, please contact Dance Without Limits’ volunteer coordinator, Stephenie Tiedens, at [email protected].