Diane Portelli knows what it’s like to face the stigma that comes with having a brain that works differently to what is considered “the norm”.
The 38-year-old choreographer has experienced the realities of people who are neurodiverse through her nine-year-old son as well as some of her dance students.
She is now using dance to raise awareness about what it’s like to have a brain that works differently.
Her choreography will be performed by six dancers this evening during Science in the City in Valletta.
“I work with a lot of beautiful brains… As the mum of a gorgeous, funny, creative, intelligent and utterly lovable nine-year-old, who also has a neuroatypical brain, this project is truly meaningful… I also teach a lot of children, some of who are autistic, and witness how people behave around them and talk about them,” says Diane, a director and choreographer at Moveo Dance Company.
When she heard about the theme of this year’s edition of Science in the City ‘The Science of You’, it struck a chord.
I believe we can relieve the burden of neurological disability without altering the essence of a person
“I enjoy choreographing work which, in some way, speaks to me… I always had this issue with a lack of understanding and tolerance towards children with different brains. Neurodiversity encompasses a lot of things, including autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) – and each one is a massive spectrum,” she says.
She explains that while her son does not have a diagnosis, he has the cognitive intelligence of a 13-year-old, but his social skills are still catching up – a situation that can lead to stress and anxiety. He is often misunderstood by his peers.
“As a parent you end up feeling very helpless. You don’t know what to do, want other people to understand and want to explain it. So, I thought, why not use dance to bring awareness about certain behaviour and why it happens,” she says. As she prepared the choreography, together with artistic director Dorian Mallia and the dancers, they researched the subject and carried out tasks and simulations to put themselves in the shoes of neurodiverse people.
They used movements that emerged to build a choreography that includes spoken parts.
Dancers utter powerful words: “Sometimes I pretend to be normal… but it’s boring… so I go back to being me; I am a diagnosis… a box you tick on a medical form; I am not broken; my difference is my superpower.”
Diane would like the performance to touch and educate the audience. She would also like to take the project a step further and perform the choreography in schools to discuss the topic with children. For this purpose she has set up a crowdfunding page.
“I believe we can relieve the burden of neurological disability without altering the essence of a person, through early intervention, therapy, society working together to make homes, parks and workplaces more accommodating. Ultimately, however, we need to change our attitude toward people who are different so that they are respected, valued, and made to feel part of the community. Diversity needs to become the new norm,” she writes on her crowdfunding page.