I never thought the darkest time in my life would turn out to be the beginning of one of the greatest journeys in my life, layered with countless blessings.

In my sophomore year at college, I sustained a traumatic back injury that literally brought aspirations of a career in dance to a halt. Over the next eight months, a series of visits to eight specialists consumed my life (not to mention my family’s life). Results revealed a herniated disc and a degenerative disc in my lower back, a broken collarbone and a degenerative disc in my neck. I adorned a neck brace, a sling to immobilize my arm, a corset with metal sties around my torso and a two-inch lift in my left shoe.

Surgery was recommended for my lower back, however, surgery on my

my neck and collarbone was not medically feasible. My path to healing would be arduous, to say the least. After a year of lying paralyzed on our living room floor, in complete shock and disbelief, the muscle spasms began to subside. I began finding myself waking from dreams in which I danced to new choreography. I also found myself needing not only to listen, but also to feel the music again. Lying on my back under the sound system I could feel the music resonate throughout my entire body. Visualization and imagery, allowed me to send or hold the music anywhere from my head to my toes. The power of pure authentic rhythm and visualization of my body moving was the most important part of my recovery. Shortly thereafter, my dance teacher asked me to coach students in preparation for an upcoming competition. It was a bittersweet experience leaving me empty.

I faced the inevitable need to begin a new direction of college studies. As fate would have it, I found myself in the library mesmerized with books illustrating the dance world. It was then that I became spellbound with one small section of books dedicated to dance therapy and dance with special populations. I was alive again!

Along with my studies in Psychology, I added a dual degree of course work in the Social Sciences. All of my electives and internships surrounded synthesizing the dance world and work with individuals who were at risk and/or exceptionally challenged. Graduate studies at three different schools allowed me to explore dance and movement with a strong emphasis on the holistic virtue and philosophy of recovery and harmonization of the mind and body.

In 1998, I was blessed with an opportunity to take all that I had learned and put it to use, opening a grass-roots dance program for children, adolescents and adults who were exceptionally challenged mentally, physically and/or emotionally. With my three-year-old daughter at my side, we began working with four students to develop a dance program designed and tailored to creatively meet the unique needs of each individual. Over the next year, each student bestowed beautiful gifts and many shared portfolios of medical miracles. We were honored to share the same time, space and energy force and continually amazed at the “dance” we had created together. These were truly Moving Miracles.

It was immediately obvious to us that in order to be successful in meeting individual needs we needed to lay blue prints for an ambulatory and non-ambulatory curriculum. Today, our dance curriculums present a non-traditional therapeutic approach to learning; concentrating on a kinesthetic and multi-sensory level. Each class emulates that of a traditional dance class, referencing developmental milestones. We focus on enhancing the quality of each individual’s life by providing tools and empowering each person to gain mastery and control over their body and environment.

Now, in our eighth season, my daughter and I take our humble place at the community table along with a highly trained teaching staff of 10 and more than 40 volunteer “dance partners,” all working together with more than 400 children, adolescents and adults to help each and every one reach their full potential.

Who would have thought during those dark days of diagnosis and therapy that we would come through…following a new path to experience some of the greatest miracles life has to offer.

Jill joined the Moving Miracles family as a volunteer in December 2004 and was promoted to the teaching staff in September 2005.  She became Managing Director in July 2007.  Jill has studied all forms of dance for over 24 years, beginning her training in 1983 at Rhythmettes Dance Studio in North Tonawanda.  In 1984, she moved to Michele Merwin Dance Arts (now Tonawanda Dance Arts) where she continued to study dance until June, 2003.  Jill began teaching as an assistant instructor at TDA in 1996, with a promotion to full faculty coming in September, 2003. She has completed Levels 1-3 of the Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School program and has attended intensive programs in Musical Theatre and Hip Hop through Dance Masters.  In the summer of 2007, Jill spent six weeks attending an intensive program in Modern dance with the Buffalo Contemporary Dance Company and has attending continuing education and Master classes in through several local dance schools.  She is a member of both the National Dance Education Organization and the New York State Dance Education Association.  Jill has co-presented seminars and workshops at past NDEO conferences and in 2008 traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with dance educators from around the country to lobby for increased spending on Arts education, particularly dance education.  In 2009, Jill was awarded the title of Associate Registered Dance Educator by the National Registry of Dance Educators, a distinction created for dance educators who are in the early stages of their career.  She is the first person in the United States to hold the A.R.D.E. title. In addition to her dance credentials, Jill is a 2003 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations.

Bethann Cournan: Dance Instructor

Bethann spent five years as a volunteer with Moving Miracles before being added to our teaching staff in 2006. She has an Associate’s Degree in Human Resources and has also been pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy through Erie Community College. Trained as a gymnast by the Kathy Gleason School of Gymnastics in Wheatfield, Bethann spent two years coaching cheerleading at the junior varsity and varsity levels for the Holland Central School District. She also has twenty years of experience working with the special education departments of various Western New York school systems as a Braille translator.

Melody Semp: Dance Instructor

Melody joined the Moving Miracles teaching staff in September, 2007. Originally from Endicott, New York, she has been dancing for twelve years, studying ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical and hip hop. In addition to dancing, she also coached Pee-Wee cheerleading for the local church Our Lady of Good Counsel. Melody is currently a student at Buffalo State College majoring in Speech-Language Pathology with a minor in Dance. She is thrilled to be a member of the Moving Miracles family.

Ashley Kasper:  Dance Instructor

Ashley has been volunteering with Moving Miracles since January, 2008 and is thrilled to now be teaching at the studio!  Ashley began her formal dance education 16 years ago while in First Grade at Dance Dimensions in East Aurora, under the direction of Janet Rush.  She has never lost her love of dance, performing several styles including tap, jazz, lyrical, and even country line dancing.  Ashley furthered her dance training through summers spent dancing in musicals with the Lancaster Youth Bureau and Lancaster Performing Arts Society.  She is a 2008 graduate of Canisius College where she received a degree in Finance.  During her four years at Canisius, she was a part of the Dance Griffs, a dance team which performed during selected sports events.  Ashley is currently employed at M&T Bank and is also dancing with the Buffalo Stampede (PBL) Dance Team.

Christine Ziemba:  Dance Instructor

Elaina Palko:  Dance Instructor

Elaina joined Moving Miracles as a volunteer in 2006 and two and a half years later is thrilled to be joining our teaching staff. Elaina has been dancing at the Jill Squitieri Academy of Ballet for the past 10 years and has also worked as a teaching assistant there.  She is currently studying in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at D'Youville College.