Doty Performance adds All Abilities dance class
Dance is for everyone, with new instructor in town
SHERWOOD, Ore. — There’s a new class in Sherwood for dancers of all abilities.
Doty Performance Dance Studio celebrated 10 years in business on September 13 and is now offering All Abilities dance classes.
Instructor Alicia Anderson recently moved to Sherwood from Utah, where she taught specialized dance classes for neurodiverse and high-needs dancers. She said the program grew out of a need for more opportunities where every dancer can experience the joy of dance in an environment designed to celebrate individual strengths, abilities and differences.
“This is a project that I started. This is my heart project,” Anderson said.
The idea began when a friend repeatedly told Anderson she wanted to enroll her twins in dance. The friend eventually enrolled only one child, and Anderson later learned that her daughter Galaxy has autism and sensory processing disorder.
“She's like, ‘Look, we don't advertise this, but Galaxy has autism. She has sensory processing disorder. She has sensory issues, and I just don't feel like she could handle a typical class,’” Anderson said. “And I said, ‘Amazing! If I could learn how to teach a class, would you be interested for her?’ And she said yes, and so would so many other parents.”
Anderson pursued Rhythmworks Integrative Dance certification, completing intensive training focused on adapting choreography for dancers with different physical and developmental needs.
Anderson also has a personal connection to the program. She has three daughters, and one daughter, Sayla, died at 20 weeks from a genetic condition.
“I've gotten to teach all of my daughters dance through the years, except for my daughter who passed away, Sayla,” Anderson said. “And so this was kind of my way of feeling like I could have an opportunity to teach Sayla without actually ever having the opportunity to teach her, so it was kind of therapeutic for me and my family, as well as being just something that a community really needed.”
Anderson said opportunities for children with disabilities can focus heavily on meeting their needs while overlooking activities they simply want to participate in.
“It's like all of their needs are being met, but their wants aren't being met, and your wants matter,” Anderson said. “These kids just want to be doing what their peers are doing, and their peers are in dance classes.”
The All Abilities program began its first full season at Doty Performance in September 2025. Anderson started with two dancers in one class and ended the season with 10. This year, the program has added a tap class.
The program uses neurotypical “buddies” who participate alongside the dancers and provide individualized support. The buddies do not pay tuition and may be dancers at the studio or children without previous dance experience.
“I think it's as important for the buddies as it is for the dancers, because not only are the dancers learning dance, my buddies are learning that these kids with special needs are just kids,” Anderson said. “They just want to do the things that their friends are doing, and it takes out the scare of the unknown for my buddies.”
Anderson said the relationships formed through the program can extend beyond the studio.
“We are forming an inclusive community by bringing buddies in to dance with these kiddos,” she said. “It's as much for the buddies as it is for the dancers because that's how we're forming that inclusivity.”
Anderson is entering her 29th season of dance. She began dancing at age 3 and started teaching her own classes at 14. Her career has included performing on cruise ships, at NFL and NBA games, and at Disneyland and Disney World.
“Dance has just taken me all over the country and opened up so many opportunities for me that I otherwise would not have had,” she said.
Since moving to Sherwood, Anderson has also taught classes at Victory Academy and worked to connect with local organizations and families.
“Being new to the area, I’m incredibly excited to become part of this community and create something that families can truly feel good about,” Anderson said. “I want families to know that there is a place for their dancer here—a place where they will be welcomed, encouraged, celebrated, and never made to feel like they have to fit into a certain mold to belong.”
Doty Performance Dance Studio
20345 S.W. Pacific Hwy., Ste. 306
(503) 822-5276
