Colin Raab
April 28th, May 5th and May 12th
Dance Arts Center
Carol Nicholas
+16502187871
As the S.N.A.P. spring session came to a close, the final performance loomed ahead.
Like any vaguely theatrical performance, things would always come together at the
last minute, sometimes even during the performance itself. In the final few classes
I had worked with 2 students: Alessandra and Jacob, a student whose siblings had
attended Menlo, and whom I’ve worked with many times. Jacob, like Alessandra, is
rarely vocal, but is generally much more willing to jump headfirst into the activity at
hand. Jacob’s enthusiasm is refreshing, but it’s much more rewarding to see a student
come out of their shell and begin to enjoy dancing and singing because of your help.
Jacob makes me feel comfortable, but my job as a buddy is to make the students
comfortable. In the final sessions before the performance, Alessandra was still struggling
with some of themoves, not because they were difficult, but because she had a lot of
inhibitions. In this sense, she isn’t very different from many of us, who allow ourselves to
be controlled by our self-conscious nature, and then fail to really enjoy our time together
with others. When the final performance came, her previous hesitancy was replaced by
a certain excitement as she knew her family and relatives would be in the audience. My
role as the ‘encouragement’ then shifted to ‘guidance’, as I needed to direct her
enthusiasm into performing the correct dance moves. At the end of the performance,
instead of reverting to her usually uncommunicative self, she proudly said her name in
front of the audience as instructed during the final bow. My experience proved the
profound influence a buddy can have on someone with a mental disability, and the
invaluable reward a buddy gains in terms of compassion, patience and confidence.
Like any vaguely theatrical performance, things would always come together at the
last minute, sometimes even during the performance itself. In the final few classes
I had worked with 2 students: Alessandra and Jacob, a student whose siblings had
attended Menlo, and whom I’ve worked with many times. Jacob, like Alessandra, is
rarely vocal, but is generally much more willing to jump headfirst into the activity at
hand. Jacob’s enthusiasm is refreshing, but it’s much more rewarding to see a student
come out of their shell and begin to enjoy dancing and singing because of your help.
Jacob makes me feel comfortable, but my job as a buddy is to make the students
comfortable. In the final sessions before the performance, Alessandra was still struggling
with some of themoves, not because they were difficult, but because she had a lot of
inhibitions. In this sense, she isn’t very different from many of us, who allow ourselves to
be controlled by our self-conscious nature, and then fail to really enjoy our time together
with others. When the final performance came, her previous hesitancy was replaced by
a certain excitement as she knew her family and relatives would be in the audience. My
role as the ‘encouragement’ then shifted to ‘guidance’, as I needed to direct her
enthusiasm into performing the correct dance moves. At the end of the performance,
instead of reverting to her usually uncommunicative self, she proudly said her name in
front of the audience as instructed during the final bow. My experience proved the
profound influence a buddy can have on someone with a mental disability, and the
invaluable reward a buddy gains in terms of compassion, patience and confidence.
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