“Ballroom dancing teaches new students proper social etiquette in the ballroom. This can give people with ASD a structure to learn good social skills, in a more controlled environment than a typical public interaction with someone they do not know. The basic skills learned through ballroom are proprioception, stamina, muscle memory, and muscle control as clients repeat the steps shown to them in a group. All of these physical and social skills when accomplished in a social setting like a ballroom dance studio, can be a great unifier because everyone has a common goal of learning to dance.
“Additionally, social ballroom provides a unique environment where neurotypical adults
and adults with ASD can have the opportunity to interact and learn from each other while going
through the shared experience of learning a new skill. Educating the public about their
individuality is considered highly important to many in the ASD community who feel that they
have not been represented accurately on television shows (C. Sicile-Kira & J. Sicile-Kira, 2012).
These portrayals create an image that all people with ASD are brilliant savants or that they
perform undesirable behaviors in public such as stimming (C. Sicile-Kira & J. Sicile-Kira, 2012).
The phenomenon of group work aiding this population, is further backed by Joanne Lara and
Keri Bowers (2016) in their Autism Movement Therapy technique. Being in a group setting with
neurotypical people (especially a learning environment) can be rare for this population, and as
such, is extremely beneficial,” (Crimans, 2019, p. 4).
Growing up autistic, I often felt like I was an alien sent to Earth with the task of acting like a “normal” human. I unconsciously interpreted social interactions as tests that I had to “pass”, making it difficult to enjoy and express myself. However, when I had social rules and specific etiquette to rely on, I found that I felt more confident and successful. One such place where I continue to feel this is in social dance settings, for many of the reasons listed above.
While finding comfort in etiquette to this degree may not be relatable for most people, I’m certain that most people find some degree of comfort in having social expectations. After all, that’s what society is built upon. Etiquette is a part of culture and culture is everywhere; the way someone eats, communicates, moves, or interacts with their environment. Sometimes the rules are spelled out (ex. “No Smoking), sometimes it’s not so obvious.
Perhaps one method of reducing waste management could be to reapproach the way we think of park etiquette. Signs put up at the beginning of trails or by parking lots prohibiting or encouraging behavior may not be the only effective method of encouraging certain behaviors. What if ODNR were to embrace its social and cultural importance and usher in a new era of park etiquette, one that helps us understand how we should care for the land we occupy?
References
Crimans, S. (n.d.). Social Goals in Adults with ASD: The Case for Ballroom in
Dance/ Movement Therapy. In Lesley University Digital Commons Graduate
School of Arts and Social Sciences [Digital Commons].
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/cgi/
viewcontent.cgi?article=1205&context=expressive_theses (Original work
published 2019)
[Social dancing]. (n.d.). Art is Motion. https://artismotion.org/
ballroom-courses/
