How do you get 64 students enrolled in your brand-new cheerleading and dance school in 4 weeks?
We caught up with Alana Giaccio from All Abilities Cheer and Dance to learn about how her passion project became an in-demand new service.
Noticing a gap in the market
“There’s nothing around for people like my brothers”.
At its core, this is where the inspiration for Alana’s cheer and dance business for children and adults with disabilities came from.
Having two younger brothers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability meant that Alana was deeply aware of and involved in understanding the world of people with disabilities, existing services, and in particular, gaps in these services. She and her family experienced on a daily basis what it felt like to not have services which most of us took for granted.
The other part of this offering was her love of dance - she has been dancing for 14 years.
Knowing what joy dance brought into her own life, and seeing the lack of this option for children and adults with disabilities, she started to put together a plan which combined the skills of her dancing with the structure and organisation needed to provide fun, safe and inclusive dance and cheerleading classes to people with disabilities.
She decided that since no one else was doing it, she may as well. Launching during the COVID pandemic, the routines of many people with disabilities had changed significantly and new opportunities were in demand.
Personal experience aside, Alana embarked in formal education in the fields of communication, disability and dancing/sport, including a Bachelor of Communication and Media, a Postgraduate Certificate in Disability Studies, courses in disability awareness and inclusive coaching from Perform-Ability, Gymnastics Australia and Special Olympics Australia - just to name a few.
All Abilities is affiliated with Special Olympics Australia and joins their network for disability and sporting opportunities, while receiving dedicated program support and advice.
Your network is everything
When asking Alana about how she could possibly have created 9 weekly classes for 64 students in such a short space of time, with a team of 9, she said that her network is everything.
She actively reached out and engaged with people within her networks from when the idea was just a spark. She is a part of many networks. “It’s all about who you know in the cheer and dance community and disability field”.
Alana has been supported first and foremost by her family, the broader disability community of which she had been a part of, and the dance community. Her current part time employment with UniSA in roles such as Communications and Marketing and Student Engagement have also held her in good stead, and built the extensive networks she has.
What makes All Abilities Cheer and Dance so unique?
All Abilities has proven very popular because it fills a high demand gap in the market. While there are other studios in Adelaide which offer cheer and dance to people with disabilities, All Abilities is the only cheer and dance studio that works exclusively with this group, offer competition, recreational and online classes, and are welcoming of all types of disabilities/additional needs, and people of all ages.
She provides a “Parent Viewing Area” for all classes, and family can join in if they like. Alana said the smiles on her students and parents’ faces is everything she could have imagined from making her once pipeline dream a reality.
The range of classes is also unique - including cheerleading and tumbling skills (very fun), dance, and pom (dancing with pom poms).
Alana said that many Adelaide competitions have a CheerAbility and DanceAbility section. This means people with disabilities can compete in a way which is fair and inclusive in competition. As an added bonus, bringing CheerAbility and DanceAbility into mainstream competitions increases awareness to all who participate. Alana hopes one day to put Adelaide residents on international stages. In the meantime, All Abilities will be competing at the Australian AllStar Cheerleading Federation’s (AASCF) State Championships in the DanceAbility section in Adelaide in September and October.
Speaking of Ability, Alana is also the only person in South Australia who is a certified Perform-Ability instructor. This is Australia’s fastest growing performing arts program for people of all ages with disabilities and she is proud to have brought this into our state.
This vision, together with Alana’s marketing skills, must be working because she already has schools and service providers approaching her to provide her unique program to their students.
Plan C
It has become apparent with all the businesses we have been talking to that a Plan C - "Contingency for Covid", is an integral part of business planning. All Abilities Cheer and Dance is a business which launched after the COVID shutdowns. Alana said that this has made her very mindful of what can happen at any time. She needs to plan carefully in this new environment, especially if she commits to it full time without the safety net of outside employment.
Her website shows that she already offers Online Zoom classes, and she says that this is not only due to COVID, but also to extend the reach to those who can’t attend for personal or geographical reasons.
Tips from Alana
When asking about tips for start-up businesses, Alana had two important ones.
- She said you should lean towards your passions, and find where there is a gap in the market within those interests, because then you won’t even feel like you are working.
- Tap into your networks. You can’t do it alone and get people on board who share your passions. You will be amazed at how many people want to see you succeed. It’s all about who you know.
All Abilities was awarded the Westside Placemakers Grant to adapt their classes under COVID-19 restrictions. Funding from this grant has now been reallocated to our Arts and Cultural Support and Stimulus package from July 1 2020 to 30 June 2021. Alana says her classes make her participants feel they are valued members of the Charles Sturt community.
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Emma Grivell
Business Engagement Advisor - Urban Projects
E: egrivell@charlessturt.sa.gov.au