When Lauren Morris was 13-years-old, on the way home from a dance class she loved, she turned to her mother and asked why there weren't any dance studios for people with disabilities. Her mother's answer: "I don't know. Maybe you'll open one someday."
"I didn't think it would be me," Morris says. "But I couldn't shake the idea that someone should. If something as simple as a dance class had shaped my life the way it had, why shouldn't that be available to everyone?"
It took a few years for the idea to fully take hold. But in 2018, she finally gave it a try. "I figured if it failed, I could at least say I tried." She started small, hosting a summer dance camp for teens and adults with Down syndrome. The response was immediate.. "It was clear from day one this was what I was meant to do."
She spent the next year raising $100,000 to open a studio where the program could run year-round for people of all ages and abilities. MOVE Inclusive Dance officially opened in August 2019 and Morris has been at it ever since.
Dance has been the one constant in Morris' life since she was 3-years old. "Growing up, the studio was my favorite place to be." She danced competitively throughout her childhood and teenage years, then went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. The combination of her deep love for the art form and formal training gave her both the passion and the tools to build something that could actually work for the people she wanted to serve.
MOVE Inclusive Dance is a Nashville-area nonprofit with studios in Bellevue and Franklin, offering virtual classes and community outreach programming that brings dance directly into the greater Nashville area through partnerships with other nonprofits and schools. The organization serves people of all ages and abilities, from young children to adults, with year-round classes and events built around the one central idea that dance belongs to everyone.
While MOVE's primary classes are designed specifically for people with disabilities, MOVE also offers free community classes open to everyone, including Latin Dance, Timeless Tap for adults 55 and older, as well as specialized movement therapy workshops. "Our programs bring people together through movement, social connection, and community," Morris says. "Inclusive dance breaks down barriers, builds empathy, and creates a supportive network where everyone is valued for what they bring to the room."
The case for inclusive dance is also well-supported by research. Nearly a quarter of people in the United States live with a disability, and adults with disabilities report frequent mental distress, almost five times as often as those without — a gap that Morris traces directly to the barriers that keep people isolated from the kinds of community and connection that most people take for granted.
Dance, it turns out, is a powerful antidote. A 2024 study found that dance reduced symptoms of depression more effectively than walking, yoga, strength training, or some antidepressants. And yet most dance studios are simply not built for people with disabilities. Physical inaccessibility, instruction that doesn't account for cognitive or neurodiverse needs, choreography that doesn't accommodate different bodies, and the near-absence of performance opportunities for disabled dancers are the barriers that have kept an entire population from accessing something that could genuinely change their lives.
"That's the gap MOVE fills," Morris says. "We create a space where people of all abilities can come together through movement and experience the same joy, creativity, and connection everyone deserves access to."
Before a new student ever takes their first class, staff members speak with the parent or caregiver to learn as much as they can about the dancer. That information then gets passed to the instructor so they can prepare the environment thoughtfully. That preparation might mean extra visual supports, a personalized sensory bin, or a dance buddy to participate alongside the student.
"It starts with a well-thought-out plan," Morris says, "and a willingness to throw that plan out the window if needed." Because more often than not, the most important adjustments happen in real time, in the room, between a teacher and a dancer who are learning each other. "That's where the magic happens. It's all about getting to know each dancer and what they need, and that only comes with time together."
Morris has a favorite quote that she returns to when explaining the difference between accessibility and genuine inclusion. It comes from diversity advocate Verna Myers: "Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance."
"That's it, right there," Morris says. "It's not enough to make a program technically accessible. Real inclusion means someone is wanted in the room, adapted for, and given the chance to shine."
"Daily we are seeing the ripple effects of this program in people's lives," she says, "and that's what keeps me motivated to push towards more growth. My hope is that MOVE Inclusive Dance continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of our dancers who deserve nothing but the best."
MoveInclusiveDance.com