A Season of Song, Dance and Autism

[BuyingThyme]

A Season of Song, Dance and Autism
By HUGH HART
Published: March 23, 2008

LOS ANGELES

ON a recent afternoon Elaine Hall, a petite acting coach, sat on the floor of the bare-bones rec room at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services and guided a half-dozen kids with autism through a finger-pointing, call-and-response game called Zip Zap. Then came a group singalong as the children crooned “Our circle is ready to start/Come share ideas, come share your heart” over and over. Before long Josh, Zoey, Shira and their friends were bunny-hopping across the room and improvising wild solo jigs to giddy applause.

This is the Miracle Project, subject of the documentary “Autism: The Musical,” which has its debut Tuesday on HBO. It chronicles the 2005-6 incarnation of Ms. Hall’s program by tracking a rambunctious cast of children with autism — and their parents — as they prepare to put on a show.

...

And their message is clear, as Ms. Regan explained: “The Miracle Project is this oasis where the kids come to relax, but the film wouldn’t be successful unless we also saw how painful it can be for the parents of these kids. When you show both sides, it’s not so scary anymore.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/arts/television/23hart.html

If you come across this film on HBO, check it out. It seems to be on a pretty heavy rotation.

[BuyingThyme]

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