Adin + Music = Dancing!

When I think about 23-year-old Adin, I see him on stage at Fantastic Friends on a Friday night. But, unlike most everyone else, Adin isn’t singing karaoke to one of his favorite songs. No, he is dancing with his mom, Laura, and as happy as can be.

You see, Adin isn’t very verbal, so singing isn’t his thing. But he loves music, and he shows it by dancing. You might think that he’s following the advice of “dance like nobody’s watching”, but that’s not accurate at all. Watch him if you want to, because he’s happy to put on a show for you. And when I queue up a favorite song of his, it’s either ABBA (a guilty pleasure of mine) or an artist he introduced me to named Michael Franti. Michael Franti’s music gives off high energy, feel-good beach vibes that can’t help but make you feel happy. Laura tells me that they keep an eye on Michael Franti’s touring schedule each year and see him live as many times as possible. (They went to 11 of his shows last year and hope to make it 12 this year!) That is, in between the four (or so) ABBA tribute bands that they will see as they tour the country. And, if you ever catch Adin and his family at one of those ABBA tribute concerts, don’t be surprised if you see them decked out in colorful 70s garb and dancing all through the show (like everybody else).

Adin started coming to GiGi’s in 2024 because Laura found very little in adult programming for her son. Adin loves the sense of community he’s found at GiGi’s Playhouse and looks forward to seeing his friends each week. A few weeks ago, he saw several of his Fantastic Friends at Night to Shine, which was great. They all had a wonderful time!

Last week, Laura brought Adin to his first GiGiFIT exercise class. As they walked into the Playhouse, he asked, “Are we coming to Fantastic Friends?”. Although he was a bit disappointed when she said, “Not this time.”, he really enjoyed the session. Then, he and his mom stopped in to observe the GiGi’s Kitchen class that followed. She wasn’t sure if Adin would participate in that kind of activity, but watching the volunteers engage with each participant — and seeing how everyone worked together — Adin and Laura decided that he’d like to give it a try.

I was pleased to see that Adin is signed up to join us for next week’s GiGiGIT, GiGi Kitchen and then Music Makers in the afternoon. Or, in his case, Adin’s Dance Party.

Here’s hoping that he’ll become a regular at GiGi’s every Tuesday!