LAYTON—A group of dancers are headed to Special Olympics Utah to perform pieces they have been practicing for weeks. The students are all special needs ranging from 15 to 28 and ready to show off their skills at the statewide event April 25. 

“This will be our third year participating,” said Krista Derington, owner of Premier, Ballroom and Dance Academy that has the class. “I was asked to judge the first Special Olympics that they had for dance in Utah three years ago. After I got done judging I just realized we needed to be part of this as a dance studio.”

There have been a couple of dance studios in Utah that had a special needs class but there had never really been an official Olympic thing here in Utah for dance, she said. “I knew the person who helped get all that started and when they asked me to come judge I just fell in love with it.”

Derington also had some personal reasons for getting involved. “I have a special needs son myself,” she said. “I was sitting there judging and I thought ‘oh my gosh, if my son, a special needs kiddo, ever wants to dance in the future, there would be a place like this for him which I loved.”

The seed for the idea came while Derington was attending Brigham Young University in dance education with a minor in ballroom. “There was a dancer who was part of the Miss Utah program and she decided to make one of her projects for being in a pageant all about providing special needs dancers with dance.” 

They invited all of the college students to come and dance with the special needs dancers, she said. “That’s probably when it really sparked my interest. I always thought to myself if I ever have a chance in the future, if I’m ever in charge of a program myself and do anything with special needs and dance I would love to. That was the first time I’d ever heard of anyone holding a special needs dance class specific to them.”

Derington said she went on with her life and then had her son and found out he was special needs. “He’s autistic. Then I was invited to judge and I’m just like ‘OK this is my sign it’s time.’”

There are other studios around, she said. “I don't know if there are any around us that do it currently. I have thought they should start a class because it’s so needed. It’s something parents tell me all the time.”

They’re just so grateful that this even exists, said Derington. “Because if you think about it, if you have a special needs child that will never be able to live on their own and they’re living with mom and dad until they pass away or until their parents pass away there’s just not a lot for them.”

Maja White is the dance instructor for the class. “I got started when I did some volunteer work with the Tanner dance up at the U and they do lots of dance classes for kids with special needs,” she said. “We actually had a student at Premiere who had an older sister with some special needs and she always wanted to dance and so I kind of started this group with her in mind for older ages.”

The youngest is 15, said White. “I’ve worked a lot with preschoolers and kindergarteners in the school district with special education so this has actually been really fun for me to kind of get to know the older side of special needs and how to work with them. That’s been really fun.”

White said she has a brother with some special needs. “So working with them felt natural. I like working with kids with special needs in particular. I find it really enjoyable and especially forming connections with them.”

When things click for these kids it’s awesome, she said. “That’s what makes everything worth it.”

The Special Olympics will be held April 25 at Cottonwood High School at 11 a.m. Cottonwood High is located at 5715 S. 1300 East, Murray. For more information about the program at Premiere visit https://www.premierballroomacademy.com/.