Ballet helped this girl walk on her own

LOS ANGELES -- When Sarah Hansen first came to Bonnie Schlachte’s ballet studio, she jokingly called herself a “weeble-wobble,” telling her ballet teacher that when she tried to walk, she would fall.

“She couldn’t walk across the room without holding on to something,” recalls Schlachte. “She would immediately fall.”

Hansen was only in middle-school, but a progressive neurological disease was hindering her ability to walk, let alone do ballet.

But Hansen had a tenacious spirit and desperately wanted to learn ballet. She even announced to her kindergarten class that when she grew up, she was going to be a Sugar Plum Fairy.

Hansen enrolled in weekly group classes at Schlachte’s ballet studio called Ballet for all Kids, a studio that teaches children with and without developmental disabilities. Soon after she began classes and private lessons, her family saw a vast improvement in her ability to move.

She worked tirelessly in the studio, focusing on what her instructor wanted from her.

“At the time, her foot wouldn’t fully rest on the floor,” explains Schlachte. “That’s why she couldn’t stand on her own, there was no support.”

Schlachte pushed her student, explaining to Hansen that her “brain has neuroplasticity so eventually it will receive the message.”

As a mom, a classically trained ballerina, and holding a degree in psychology, Bonnie Schlachte was the perfect person to push Hansen to do her best. Schlachte put herself through college with dance and theater scholarships.

After graduation, she came across an opportunity with children with developmental disabilities. She fell in love and chose to focus on jobs in that field.

One night, while Schlachte was sitting with her then 18-month-old daughter, an idea came to her that would change her career path.

It all started with a simple notion: she wanted her daughter to enjoy the arts, as she had, with dance and ballet classes. Her daughter did not have developmental disabilities, but Schlachte thought to herself that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to enroll her into the conventional class. She searched online to see what was available for children with disabilities; there was nothing. Her idea to start her own studio, Ballet for all Kids, was born.

Years later, Schlachte found herself watching and celebrating Hansen, who at one point could barely walk, was now moving across the floor on her own two feet.

“One day, her ankle dropped, and she put her whole foot on the ground,” says Schlachte. “I was crying, her mom was crying, it was a great moment.”

It was also a pivotal moment for Hansen, who now had the foundation to stand by herself and even take steps.  She performed in the studio’s recital, holding the ballet bar or a chair for support and then venturing out on her own for a few steps at the end of the performance.

Year after year, Hansen worked hard, continuing group classes once and private instruction weekly.  She wasn’t going to stop at just a few steps.

At a recent dance recital Hansen showcased how far she has come. The studio put on The Nutcracker, where Hansen was a Sugar Plum Fairy.

She danced on her own the entire time. No ballet bar, no chair, just her. She was no longer a “weeble-wobble” but instead is a graceful ballerina.

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