By Natasha Fujimoto
HELEN Janke not only has the best job in the world earning her a full cup of satisfaction, but she also has the skills and passion to provide adults with special needs an opportunity to enact their ambitions.
As the former director of the resoundingly successful local theatre company, Initial Stages, voice teacher Janke simply cannot say enough about the zest of her new adult troupe entitled, Creating Drama.
Encompassing performers with down’s syndrome and autism, Creating Drama has grown in number from four to 22 in five years.
Instructing tap and contemporary dance along with singing and performance, Helen says she maintains the same high expectations of her performers as she did her students from Initial Stages.
Awestruck by the collective encouragement and team spirit of the group, Helen states that the opportunity for these adults to learn performance is not just a social enterprise but a right to explore their creativity, as she states,
“I remember just after rehearsal one day, a beaming performer with down’s syndrome came up to me and said, ‘Thank you, this is my dream.’
“At that time, I looked around at all the beautiful people taking five and I thought, this is not a dream this is a provision of choice; an opportunity to be a part of something that inspires you,” Helen said.
The way Helen describes how her students have grown from shy and anxious performers to focused and polished artists over the years, you just know why she calls herself “blessed”.
