Monash University's new AllPlay Dance program is driving the development of inclusive dance programs and supporting the wellbeing of children in Australia and China living with disability.
The AllPlay partnership with the first and only professional dance institution in China, the Beijing Dance Academy, will ensure - for the first time - children with disabilities outside of Australia will have access to the program.
Through a generous $1.7 million donation from long-standing philanthropic partner, Manny Stul and the Moose Happy Kids Foundation, the AllPlay Dance program in China will be scaled up over the next five-years to reach and support even more children and families in the region.
The inclusive dance teaching model, which sits within the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University, also received more than $1 million in funding from the Department of Social Services to support the expansion as part of the Information Linkages and Capacity Building - Social and Community Participation program.
The AllPlay program supports children with disabilities and their families, coaches and teachers to engage in sport, education and dance, with more than 300,000 children already reached through the program.
AllPlay Dance was co-created by Professor Nicole Rinehart, a clinical psychologist from the School of Psychological Sciences, and international leader in neurodevelopmental disorders, and Dr Olivia Millard, senior lecturer in Dance from the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University.
"AllPlay initially started off as a small idea to build an evidence-based inclusive toolkit for the Australian Football League (AFL), eventually becoming AllPlay Footy, AllPlay Dance, and AllPlay Learn. Now, having the opportunity to reach children throughout China, it's truly remarkable," said Professor Rinehart.
Philanthropic partner Manny Stul is the Executive Chairman, and Co-Owner of Moose Toys said "As an innovative company that uses our business as a force for good through the Moose Happy Kids Foundation partnering with organisations that share our vision to create a positive difference in the lives of children is hugely important to us," he said.
"As the seed funder of AllPlay, we joined its mission from the very beginning as we could see the incredible impact these programs could have.
"Witnessing the impact now extending to other countries, including China, makes us as proud as ever to partner with AllPlay Dance to improve mental and physical health outcomes for children around the world through the arts and physical movement," Mr Stul said.
Interventions for disability have traditionally been carried out in clinical settings by medical and allied health teams. Community-based interventions, like dance, are appealing to people with disabilities, their supporters, and to government and agencies such as the NDIS who support participants to live an ordinary life.
"Community dance has the opportunity to complement and offer an alternative to clinical interventions; it has physical, psychological and social benefits, but is not always accessible, as children with disabilities often face participation barriers," said Professor Rinehart.
"Whether these barriers are due to physical, cognitive or social differences, our AllPlay Dance program will offer strengths-based, evidence-informed digital resources and in-person inclusive training models that enable children with disabilities to experience and reimagine dance."
Closer to home, Giant Steps, a specialist school in Melbourne that offers best practice in the education and support of children living with autism, will also soon roll out the AllPlay Dance program.
Giants Steps School Principal Davina Bate said partnering with Monash in AllPlay Dance will allow students with autism and complex needs to express themselves through creative dance. "It's a beacon of joy, engagement and social connection for our students," she said.
Over the next five-years, Professor Nicole Rinehart and Dr Olivia Millard will be bringing their unique approach to dance and clinical psychology collaboration to train the next generation of AllPlay Dance buddies at the Beijing Dance Academy who will take AllPlay Dance into the Chinese community.
