PERSONAL NARRATIVE
A mom starts to work with him, but stops to chat
with another parent. While her back is turned, Becca
comes whirling back like a tornado and whisks Jose
down the dance floor. I watch as the pair practically
makes it all the way across and back before the other
mom even realizes they are gone. Becca is the loco-
motive and keeps them on track, straight down the
line of dance, while Jose keeps perfect time.
The next thing I know, I feel a cool breeze blowing
on my back. Anna, our dance teacher par excellence,
has positioned one of the studio’s several industri-
al-sized fans behind me. She is gesturing to the par-
ents and students who all pull up chairs in a circle
around me. Next thing I know, we’re all dancing in
our chairs, stomping the rhythm of the cha-cha-cha
with our feet. After a few more moves in the chair in
front of the fan, I find that I have revived. I stand up
and dance the Cucaracha—better than most, I think
to myself.
I could go on and on about my ballroom dance class.
My friend Julia has severe loss of motor tone so that
her arms ache the day after dance class just from
holding them up on my shoulders. My friend Auggie
is perfectly silent most of the time but periodically
startles everyone when he lets loose a high-pitched
whistle. Nicole, however, has the most beautiful
smile. Auggie dances with his grandmother and they
drive over an hour each way to come to class.
I think heaven must be a little like my dance class.
Everyone’s loved, everyone’s accepted, and every-
one gets what they need to dance. Jose supplies the
rhythm, Becca the energy. I hold up Julia’s arms, and
she smiles at me.
Peter Tran is a high school honors
student, the sixth of seven children,
with nonverbal autism who types
to communicate. He has won three
state competitions in literature and
one national competition in poetry.
He has published articles and po-
ems in several local newspapers and online autism
magazines and has published a book entitled My
World as a Poem. A regular contributor to the LA
Times/High School Insider, Peter also loves swim-
ming, biking, and ballroom dancing.
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