Public Moves: DanceAbility
with Alito Alessi & Connie Vandarakis

Sat 19.07., 17.00h l MQ Forecourt l Free entry

DanceAbility is a unique dance methodology founded in 1987 by Alito Alessi and Karen Nelson. It has been under the exclusive leadership of Alito since 1989. Through experiencing movement together, misconceptions and/or prejudices that able-bodied as well as disabled people might have about themselves or each other are uprooted. DanceAbility workshops provide a supportive atmosphere for attitudes to change, and for people to learn about the beauty and joy of communicating through movement.

Public Moves dance classes take place outdoors every day – international and local instructors share their knowledge of everything from jazz and Bollywood dance to waacking in free outdoor classes. No previous experience is necessary, and all ages and levels are welcome!

Registration begins one day before the course starts at 11:00 a.m. via the calendar or by telephone on +43.1.523 55 58-19. If a class is ‘fully booked’, there is still the possibility of securing a remaining place on site. It's worth dropping by!

Biography Alito Alessi

Alito Alessi is the artistic director and founder of the Joint Forces Dance Company and teaches and performs DanceAbility and Contact Improvisation internationally for more than 20 years. Both Joint Forces as well as DanceAbility are considered to be the most important pioneer-projects in the field of "mixed-abilities dance“. This project for performers and teachers with and without disabilities achieved international appreciation for its artistic vision and the unique method in widening variety in dance.
Over several years Alito Alessi received scholarships for his choreographic works from American National Endowment of the Arts. As one of the pioneers of integrating Contact Improvisation into choreographic work, collaborations with artists include Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Andrew Harwood, Karen Nelson amongst others.

Biography Connie Vandarakis

Connie Vandarakis (she/her) identifies as a person with non-apparent disabilities and bilateral hearing loss.

As an international disability consultant, Connie was recognised as a Zero Project Ambassador in 2023. She is an Inclusive Arts expert with the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Steering Community and serves as a mentor. She has spoken at the Zero Project Conference at the United Nations in Vienna and has both performed and spoken at the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York City, as part of a side event with Zero Project.

Connie is the CEO of Our Motion, a consultancy focused on inclusive movement in dance and wellness. She works as a Master Trainer with DanceAbility International and has been a keynote speaker at inclusive dance conferences, as well as teaching and performing in several countries since 2012. She has 30 years of leadership experience at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she formerly served as Associate Dean and Professor. Connie has also held board positions at the University of the Arts, DanceAbility International, Disability Pride Pennsylvania, and the Include Everyone Project SCV.

Connie is part of the leadership team at Disability Pride Pennsylvania and has worked in various capacities since the organisation obtained its status as a charitable organisation in 2019. She also serves on the Circuit Trails Coalition Steering Committee and leads the Outdoors for Everyone programme at DPPA. Additionally, she worked with the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for Equitable Community Engagement and Volunteer Services as the Trainer for the Equitable Community Toolkit project from 2022 to 2023.

Photo: © Karolina Miernik