Kerry Kincy, center, practices a floor exercise in which students in her “Telling Voices” class gather in a circle.
Extraordinary Person: Movement Arts Teacher Kerry Kincy
CROMWELL - Kerry Kincy is a movement teaching artist who works with â€"under-served and often invisible populations” in Cromwell and surrounding communities. In her class, â€"Telling Voices,” she teaches men and women, adults and children, who have cognitive and emotional deficits in development. Through the elements of movement and dance, participants are able to build self-concept, enhance cognitive and social abilities and express themselves creatively.

       For the past six years at Adelbrook Behavioral & Developmental Services in Cromwell, Kincy has been teaching children and young adults who have been identified as differently-abled in social, cognitive or emotional development. She also teaches many individuals who exhibit behaviors on the autism spectrum, including those with Asperger syndrome.

       â€"It’s a wonderful blessing to share in the sense of discovery that takes place with these special groups of young people,” Kincy said of her work.

       One of the primary aims of her teaching is to provide a safe space in which everyone can discover their creative voice. She fosters an environment where students of all abilities are able to take risks through movement, without fear of ridicule and without the limitations of a predetermined aesthetic ideal.

       â€"Regardless of ability, my goal is for each student to discover who they are and to build self-esteem that will help them understand their place in their community and the greater world with a sense of joy and confidence,” she said.

       Kincy first became intrigued with using movement and dance in learning and development while pursuing her self-designed degree in learning, movement and social development at Trinity College in 2009. Through the Community Learning Initiative at Trinity, Kincy was placed with a fourth grade science classroom as an arts enrichment teaching assistant.

       â€"We used movement to help children understand stalactite and stalagmites by having them use their bodies to form the shapes to become the inside of the cave,” Kincy said, adding she was surprised and impressed with the depth of learning that took place simply by adding a physical or mind-body component to the learning process.

       In recent years, expressive arts such as dance and improvisational movement have gained recognition in education and therapeutic settings for fostering the connections between the mind and the body. In the classes Kincy designs and teaches, participants develop a sense of self through active learning experiences.

       â€"Constructing movement strategies using the elements of dance, participants are able to gain strength and flexibility, to feel inspired and know their unique voices are honored in a comfortable and safe environment,” she said. â€"It is through these classes that barriers are broken and ideas of self are developed and nurtured.”  

       The collaborative programs Kerry has established, and her ongoing efforts to bring programs like Telling Voices into healthcare and education organizations, affords her the opportunity to bring the healing powers of movement to people of all abilities and ages. Most of her work in the past year has been with children with disabilities and psychiatric populations.

       Kincy said she feels it is a great blessing to find her passion in helping these special individuals realize â€"the healing power in movement and the value of expressing themselves without words, in a safe space, creatively and with joy.”

      
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