In April, MOVE Inclusive Dance had the honor of being part of Belmont University O'More College of Architecture & Design’s annual fashion show, an event that brings students, industry professionals, and the community together to showcase design in action.

Throughout the semester, fashion students partnered with our dancers to create custom recital costumes designed for real bodies and real movement. They came into our studio, watched choreography, asked questions, and made adjustments along the way.

Not designing for our dancers, but with them.

And that distinction mattered deeply to our students.

Why Accessibility in Design Matters

There’s something really powerful about being seen. Not just accommodated as an afterthought, but truly considered from the very beginning.

For many of our dancers, clothing can come with challenges most people never think about:

Fabric sensitivity
Mobility needs
Fasteners that are difficult to manage
Costumes that look beautiful but don’t actually work for the body wearing them

Dancewear often prioritizes appearance before accessibility, leaving many dancers to adapt themselves to fit the costume instead of the other way around.

This experience flipped that narrative.

Designing through Listening

The fashion students approached every interaction with curiosity, humility, and openness. They listened before sketching. Observed before assuming. And through that process, something really beautiful happened: our dancers became collaborators in the creative process.

You could feel the excitement when our dancers realized someone was paying attention to what they needed. The confidence that came from trying on something made specifically for their body and movement style. The joy of being part of an industry and art form that doesn’t always create space to represent all abilities.

Taking it to the stage

The costumes first debuted at our November 2025 recital, where our dancers performed in pieces created specifically for their bodies, movement styles, and needs.

Then, in the spring, the partnership came full circle when several MOVE dancers joined their designers at Belmont’s O’More Fashion Show, taking the runway in the very pieces they helped bring to life.

Watching that moment unfold felt emotional in a way that’s hard to fully explain.

It wasn’t just about the beautiful garments, although they absolutely were that. It was about recognition, representation, and connection.

More than just a “fashion project”

Adaptive design isn’t just a technical skill. It’s a mindset. It asks designers to think beyond trends and aesthetics and instead ask deeper questions:

Who has been left out of this process?
What happens when accessibility becomes part of the design from day one instead of an adjustment made later?

That kind of learning can’t fully happen in a classroom alone.

At MOVE Inclusive Dance, we talk often about building spaces where everyone belongs. This partnership felt like an extension of that mission in a completely new environment. One where future designers are learning early that accessibility is not limiting creativity, but expanding it.

When people take the time to listen, adapt, and create alongside one another, design, dance, and the spaces in between become more than performances or products, they become places of belonging.

If you’d like to learn more about our inclusive dance programs and the community we’re building at MOVE Inclusive Dance, we’d love to connect with you. Explore our classes, performances, and programs designed for dancers of all abilities.

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