Autistic Wings Dance Company

Welcome to a Studio Without Barriers

Imagine walking into a room where the art you love feels like a language you aren't allowed to speak. For our founder, 14 years old Leta Rundell, traditional dance studios were often places of sensory overload and rigid expectations of what "autism" really was. Untrained teachers assumed that a Google search of autism would tell them all they needed to know. They assumes "sensory" issues just meant turning down the music or dimming the lights. That was far from the truth. Autism causes other not well understood issues.

Teachers mistaking Leta's autistic "traits" as Leta being disrespectful became common place. Even Leta's silent seizures - a common thing amongst young autistic girls - were seen as Leta not paying attention. Not as Leta having a medical issue during class. Leta's auditory processing disorder - her lack of being able to fully understand words at time - was seen as Leta willfully refusing to listen.

After years of trying to fit into a system that wasn't built to understand her medical issue and was built to treat it like a learning disability, Leta decided to do something odd. She founded a nonprofit dance studio for autistic dancers like her. A place where the staff wasn't just trained about neurodiversity, but a good chunk of the staff is neurodivergent themselves. With the hopes of going from a dance studio to a studio with a pre-professional program. And a final goal of founding the first professional dance company filled with autistic dancers.

Our Journey: From Silence to Soaring

The path wasn't easy. Autistic Wings Dance Company began with a dream and an empty dance studio:

• The First 4 Months: Zero students. Yet, Leta went every day and sat in a dark dance studio, hoping that others would believe in her dream enough to come take classes.

• The Growth: 5 dancers became 15, then 30. One class became eight classes. Then thirty. And in Summer 2026, the studio plans to offer over seventy classes!

• The Leap: We quickly outgrew our shared spaces, and in February 2026, we officially moved into our very own studio home! It's small, and we are quickly outgrowing the space, but it's ours.

Leta’s personal success as a semi-professional dancer on Chloe Arnold’s SoleTalk proves that Autistic dancers don’t just "participate"—they excel. Now, our pre-professional company dancers are following in her footsteps, beginning to truly find their wings.

Why We Do It Differently

We believe dance should adapt to the student, not the other way around. We serve every age and stage, from Preschool and Youth classes to our Adult and Pre-Professional programs. We ensure success through:

• The Dance Studio IEP: Individualized goals for every dancer.

• Micro-Class Sizes: Only 1–4 dancers per class to ensure sensory safety and one-on-one support.

The Cost To Dancers

Providing this level of specialized, high-support instruction costs $175 per month, per hour. However, Leta has made it clear to the Board of Directors that no dancer is to be turned away because they cannot afford classes. The Board has taken this to heart, and created a three tier tuition schedule; True Cost, Community, and Scholarship. Community Tier dancers are subsidized through the generosity of our donors, as are scholarship students.

Currently, 100% of our dancers are on subsidized tuition or full scholarships.

Your Impact

We refuse to let a price tag stand in the way of a dancer’s expression. When you give to our evergreen fund, you aren't just paying for floor time; you are providing the scholarships that keep our studio accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.

Help us keep our dancers soaring. Your gift today ensures that every dancer has a place to call home.