(Seguin )– A local group is looking to pack the dance floor giving everyone – regardless of ability — an opportunity to dance and have fun.
Beyond 22 will be teaming up with Artable Curiosities and Seguin Schoolyard this Sunday to host the 2nd Annual All-Inclusive Special Needs Dance Party. The event will be held Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Seguin Schoolyard.
Christina Barton, with Beyond 22, says the heart of the event is simple: making sure every family in the community knows they belong.
“If you have a special needs son, daughter, an elderly person, uncle, aunt, whoever, someone in your family with a special need, this is for you. If you don’t have someone in your family with special need and would like to support that, it’s for you as well. So come on out. And that’s why we named it the All-Inclusive Special Needs Dance Party,” said Barton.
She says the event will be sensory-friendly — welcoming guests with activities that go far beyond the dance floor. Some of the activities planned include face painting, carnival-style games, arts and crafts, and a photo booth, along with opportunities to connect with local education resource vendors.
Barton says the goal is to simply create a relaxed, joyful environment where attendees can simply show up and have a good time together.
“Dance with us, enjoy, a nice Sunday afternoon. We’re going to have a raffle. We’re going to have our DJ and some mascots dancing. We’ve got bubbles. We got a bunch of fun lined up for everyone,” said Barton.
Barton says she is especially excited about a new addition to the event. She says the community is invited to shop vendors who each have deeply personal stories tied to the special needs community.
“Now this time around, we have opened up the area for some vendors. And these vendors are very special because they have small businesses creating art. There’s going to be 17 vendors from soap, magnets, earrings, dragons — oh, they’re the most beautiful dragons. This mother and daughter team, they make the most beautiful plush dragons you’ve ever seen. She is limited in speech, but I mean, she’s amazing at art, at creating these dragons. We also have a mother-son team that makes art pieces with stones. So, you’ve got to check out their booth as well,” said Barton.
The Seguin Schoolyard is located at 225 N. Saunders Street.