Cindy Zurchin, owner of Cynthia’s School of Dance in Ross, sees Patrick Birmingham twice per week at the studio. On Wednesdays, he’s there for a private tap lesson, and on Saturdays, he takes tap, ballet and jazz group classes. But no matter the day, he greets her the same way.
“Rings, rings, rings,” followed by, “Earrings, earrings, earrings,” he’ll sing to a one-note melody, serenading her shiny jewelry. He’ll acknowledge her socks and shoes next, then show off his own.
The joyful way he says hello makes her feel seen — a reaction she hopes to reflect back to her dance students, particularly those with special needs.
Patrick — sometimes called “Pat” or “Patch” — 19, of McCandless, lives with a genetic condition called Fragile X syndrome. Because of speech and language delays, developmental differences and social anxiety, he engages in “scripting” (or the repetition of words or phrases) as an entry point to conversations he might otherwise have trouble initiating.
When he was a toddler, toys did little to soothe or entertain him: Only music and dance could do that. He’d latch onto dancers featured on “Sesame Street” and visibly calmed to classical music. His favorite “toy” was his older sister’s tap shoes, which allowed him not only to dance but also to receive the sensory feedback provided by the taps scraping against the floor.
He started working with a music and movement therapist in middle school and began dancing at Cynthia’s a few years later. At the school’s recital two weekends ago, Patrick received an award to mark his fifth year dancing there.
“He just lights up when he goes to dance classes,” his mother, Kathy Birmingham, said. “He can’t wait to get there. When I go to pick him up, I have to practically drag him out of there.”
Patrick — who will spend another year or two at North Allegheny Senior High School and a transitional program — is very “in tune” with his surroundings and craves an ordered environment where he knows what will happen next. Combined with his love for music and his social nature, those tendencies make dance classes a flawless fit: a room full of people, all of whom will move in a predictable rhythm, with music as a healthy distraction from anxious thoughts.
He performed a duet in the recital — alongside his private tap teacher, “Miss Kaylin” Treese — with moves Ms. Zurchin likens to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. He wore a smart gray suit and tie with his tap shoes. But, like always, he was unapologetically Patrick, sporting loudly patterned socks — blue and red ones with white polka-dots — that peeked out from beneath his pant legs as he danced.
His parents, Kathy and John, don’t cry at performances. They’re too happy for that.
“He’s found something that brings him so much joy,” Mrs. Birmingham said. “I wish everyone could find that.”
Abby Mackey: [email protected], Twitter @AnthroAbbyRN and Instgram @abbymackeywrites.
