A Chance to Dance: Sharing the hidden language of the soul

Kaitlyn Prentiss ’21 has been dancing almost since she learned to walk. She grew up surrounded by ballet slippers, leotards, and tap shoes. She entered dance competitions. She learned to choreograph. Dancing filled her soul.

Today, she spends her off hours dancing at Special Stars in Montgomery, Illinois, a nonprofit dance and movement program for children with disabilities that she helped to establish and where she serves as a board member.

Each class has about 20 dancers with special needs, and the children perform their routines at local competitions. The therapist-supported classes are specialized and inclusive, giving the student dancers a chance to shine.

“Just to see the thrill they get when they dance is so rewarding,” said Prentiss. “I know how much I enjoy dancing and how big my passion is, and to see the students experience the same passion, I just love it. They come back each week excited and ready to learn.”

Prentiss attended community college before transferring to AU, where an internship at Lurie Children’s Hospital’s psychiatry inpatient program inspired her to major in Therapeutic Recreation and Disability Studies. After graduation, she landed a job as a behavioral health associate at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville.

During the day, she works to empower people living with anxiety and other psychological disorders. In the evenings and on weekends, she is in the dance studio bringing the joys of jazz, tap, and other dance classes to children with special needs.

It all began when, as a teenager, Prentiss had a job as a personal support worker for a young girl with autism. One day, she took the child, who was in fourth grade at the time, to class with her to watch the dancers practice. Soon the girl was picking up on the rhythm and moving to the beat. When class was over, she joined Prentiss and the others, dancing freestyle across the studio.

“It was fun for her,” said Prentiss. “She didn’t want to leave the studio.”

The experience opened Prentiss’ perspective on dance as the hidden language of the soul, and she discovered the magic that could happen when a child with special needs had the chance to dance.

“The classes help with memorization skills, since the dancers need to learn routines, and with social development and self-esteem,” said Prentiss. “We want the students to feel like typical children whose parents drop them off at dance class after school.”

As for Prentiss’ own journey, she worked hard to get her college degree as a young mother, balancing caring for a baby and pursuing her university studies. She had support to help her achieve her goals, and she wants to be that support for others. Her daughter, Aubree, now a third grader, is her biggest motivator.

“I do what I do—be it at work or through dance—because I know that I could be the change for somebody,” said Prentiss. “I’m showing my daughter that anything is possible.”

This story is an excerpt from the fall/winter 2023 issue of AU Magazine. Click here to read the full story about five alumni spending their time, experience, and enthusiasm giving back to the communities that helped them along the way.