Noy Alon is a rising senior studying Neurobiology with the hopes of attending medical school after graduation. Prior to Brown, Noy danced classical ballet at the Boston Ballet School for 14 years. Her passion for dance and medicine led her to take, and then become a teacher's assistant for a course called Artists and Scientists as Partners (ASaP). Taught by Professor Rachel Balaban and Julie Strandberg, ASaP focuses on how dance interventions can be beneficial for those with Parkinson's and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition, Noy serves as a Site Leader for Partnership for Adult Learning, a tutoring program that pairs Brown University students with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in the Providence community. Both her work with the IDD community and her appreciation for art-based interventions motivated Noy to pursue this research project. Her project will be in collaboration with Professor Strandberg and Bonnie Schlachte, the founding director of Ballet for all Kids, which is a non-profit organization focused on teaching classical ballet and other dance styles to students of all abilities.

Project: 

Motor deficits are a common manifestation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Clinical trials and anecdotes report that dance and movement therapy alleviates motor impairments and related symptoms of ASD. But, dance and movement therapy is limited as it is taught by therapists whose services are not widely accessible. Thus, this study aims to assess the experiences of long-time participants with ASD in an integrative ballet program taught by unspecialized dance teachers. Through interviews with parents and legal guardians of an autistic child and program volunteers, this study will determine if ballet helps those with ASD manage their behavioral, social, and physical symptoms. Interviews will be analyzed to elucidate generalizable benefits of classic ballet on ASD symptom management.

Advisors: Julie Strandberg and Bonnie Schlachte