Meet Melanie Rufien

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Rufien.

Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
 My name is Melanie. I am the Director and Owner of PerformAbility.

PerformAbility, formerly known as Special Angels Dance, is a nonprofit for children and adults with varying needs.

The program started in 2017 after Melanie was asked by Lisa Holtz Odell (Owner of Starstruck) to start a program at Starstruck Academy of Dance. I grew up dancing at Starstruck as a child and continued to dance through high school and college. I have always had a passion for working with the special needs community. This was a unique opportunity to combine two passions into a program that tapped into needs within the community.

My undergrad at CU Boulder was in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and I hold an MA in Early Childhood Special Education. Post-grad, I worked at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation coordinating athletic and performance programming. Currently work at Welby Community School in Mapleton Public Schools as a special education preschool teacher as well as being the Director and Owner of PerformAbility.

At the start, the program (then Special Angels) had seven dancers, through word of mouth the program quickly began to grow. We have added classes and performances to our schedule every year. We currently have 80-plus dancers in the program with five different classes throughout the week.

We pride ourselves on being flexible and growing with the needs of our population. We currently offer classes for dance and tumbling while putting on musical productions throughout the year. Our dancers have the option to be in our recreational program or competition team. Our competition team competes at local and national dance competitions.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
All in all, it has been a smooth road. The biggest struggle we have encountered has been the rate at which we have grown and the time requirements created by such growth. As I said before, I have a day job as a teacher and only have so many hours in the day to provide services to my program. Luckily, I have the best support and families that are willing to be flexible with me. We continue to change and grow together.

I have also had the pleasure of training friends and family to become instructors for PerformAbility. They have been FANTASTIC additions to the program. We have been able to grow in the number of classes offered and increase the time available to our performers which was not possible before.

I also have a great partnership with Starstruck Academy of Dance. Their dancers have volunteered for my program, doubling as assistants for my classes. They volunteer their time to help out in the class and forge relationships with my performers and families. Some of those volunteers have then transitioned to paid instructors, assuming greater responsibilities and allowing continued growth.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
During the day, I am an ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) at Welby Community School, currently a preschool teacher. I am very proud of the stability I have brought to the preschool program. I teach an inclusive classroom, with both typical needs children and special needs children.

With the valued assistance of my paraprofessionals, we offer our children care, love, and attention. Working with this community has been my goal since I was at a young age. While you would have to ask the children and the families what may set me apart, I hope that within that answer is my genuine care and compassion for the kids at all times.

That same care applies to PerformAbility. I am passionate about this program and what it may offer. I do not believe there is any other program truly like it. My performers range in age from 2-45, and they each have unique and varying abilities and needs. I strive every day to make my program a place where every performer can be their very best. It is a wonderful challenge and opportunity for me.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The biggest lesson that I have learned so far is to listen, learn, and adapt. The special needs community is not a one-size-fits-all community. These are unique and wonderful individuals, each of whom brings something valuable to my world.

I have developed a program that can adapt to those needs and talents. I learn from my performers every day, and in turn, I hope I offer programs that enable them to learn as well. Together we continue to grow the program and move each other forward. Our going motto is “Perform With Us, Grow With Us”.

Pricing:

• Recreational Program- $50.00 a month
• Competition Program- $95.00 a month
• Private Lessons- $20.00 per 30 minutes

Contact Info:

• Website: performabilityco.com
• Instagram: @PerformAbilityCo
• Facebook: PerformAbility
• Yelp: PerformAbility
• Tiktok: @performabilityco

Image Credits
JCM Photography