6 year old girl with down syndrome proves dance studio wrong

Ana Malaniuk was just a 6 year old girl who wanted to dance, a little girl with down syndrome, who wanted her opportunity to shine.

She was rejected from one dance studio for not meeting their “standards”, but Ana’s family didn’t let that stop her finding a studio where she was accepted and could pursue her passion for dancing.

Ana has joined Amanda’s Academy of Dance, where her mother says “She’s met so many friends. Her confidence has grown hugely and she just loves it…to see her on the stage, to see her with the teachers, to see her happy… It’s amazing to see that people are willing to give her a chance.”

The Canadian Down Syndrom Society shared Ana’s mother’s video of Ana dancing and it’s gone viral. In the video Ana dances to Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” — clearly showing the world she’s more than capable of lighting up the dance floor.

Watch the video:

Ana is the latest girl with down syndrome showing the world that they are capable of anything and hopefully making people more accepting.

What do you think of lovely Ana? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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16 Comments

- - lspew said
  - 22 Aug 2016
    2:09 pm
I hate seeing children with disabilites told that they cant attend some thing that other children do because of the way they are. You have no idea what a child is able to do or not do unless someone spends the time teaching them. Everyone deserves the chance to give an activity a go!

- - mom112217 said
  - 25 Jun 2016
    12:21 pm
It’s wonderful Ana has found a studio where she can enjoy dancing!

- - mom19782016 said
  - 22 Jun 2016
    10:01 pm
Good on her mum for not giving up. I love it!

- - mom183717 said
  - 31 May 2016
    10:38 pm
What a great ending, everyone deserves to dance

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 29 May 2016
    9:15 am
This makes me incredibly happy. What a great video to share!

- - mom90758 said
  - 04 May 2016
    1:47 pm
It’s so nice to see girls enjoy so much what they are doing. Really uplifting!

- - mum4107 said
  - 04 May 2016
    6:01 am
That’s fantastic that Anna’s mum found her somewhere she can dance. Music is very important and Anna is dancing beautiful

- - mom134803 said
  - 04 May 2016
    3:47 am
Beautiful !! All children deserve the chance and the encouragement to pursue their dreams. I hope my wee foster daughter with Down Syndrome will get these chances too !!

- - youngoldlady said
  - 03 May 2016
    11:45 pm
Well done Ana, her mother and the dance school. Some places are only looking for how they can get ahead instead of trying to make things fun for young children.

- - pakeko said
  - 03 May 2016
    8:47 pm
Well done Anna your dancing is amazing

- - cherz said
  - 03 May 2016
    8:35 pm
What a natural..well done Anna.
This was quite a long routine to master and remember but you did it like a pro.

- - june11 said
  - 03 May 2016
    6:08 pm
Wow, Ana has got talent. Some of the time she wasn’t even watching the lady. She definitely knows the moves. When she masters the timing, for her age she will be as good as her teacher. Go get them Ana!!
Disabled children have hidden talents. We just need to encourage them to try different things for us to find and help them to develop them. Look at those who win medals in olympics (not just paralympics either).

- - mom81879 said
  - 03 May 2016
    5:34 pm
Awesome! Nothing I like better then someone being told ‘No you can’t.’ And proving they darn well can! Well done Ana, just lovely

- - mom160421 said
  - 03 May 2016
    5:25 pm
Dancing, like music, is one of life’s pleasures and should be accessible to everyone.

- - mom101628 said
  - 03 May 2016
    4:26 pm
Great to see her dance like this – good on the dance school for not rejecting her. This routine would be hard for any girl to learn let alone one who is only six – forget the fact she has Down’s syndrome.