Dance. It’s been in Jordan’s world for a long time. She started dancing at her first pre-school. We realized she really liked it during a school performance of The Nutcracker when she was 22 months old. She loved the stage. So she started taking dance classes when she was two and a half years old. Now she’s into her third year of organized dance classes. This year she’s in ballet and tap. She dances for an hour each week. About a month ago, she decided that she’d like to use her elbow arm to help.

I had a chance to sit in on a class and see her at work. She seems a bit more balanced with some of her dances. And I know she’s super proud using her helper arm when she wants to complete moves like the one in this picture… She used to overcompensate with her larger arm to meet up with her little arm – and that would put her off balance. I have no idea if Jordan will always want to dance with her helper… I am kind of indifferent on this issue. I think it’s really interesting to see how dance is the one activity she takes part in where she’s chosen her arm. Not me. (I’ll admit I was the one who encouraged it, but now she’s the one making sure I bring it to class!)

Jordan is really listening at dance class these days – and I’ve seen her improve her balance with the help of her helper arm. But it’s also a little clunky during certain moves – like when she swings her arms out. She doesn’t really cognitively know if she’s going to bonk someone in the face. (I’ve seen her get close) I caught a few moments of her during a class a couple of weeks ago. Notice how she smirks at me a couple of times. I think that threw her off balance a bit.