ZCO/Dance Project is a physically integrated dance company dedicated to the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities in dance and society. The company creates dance performances that are witty, soulful, intelligent, powerful and intriguing, presenting new, exciting, challenging, and inspiring contemporary dance performances to the widest possible audience.
Founder and artistic director Zazel-Chavah O’Gara is a native New Yorker and a Presidential Arts Scholar. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in dance performance and has performed with Mark Dendy Dance Company and Alvin Ailey Workshop II, as well as performing Off-Broadway and in many musical theatre stage productions in the U.S. and abroad. She also served as movement coach for “As the World Turns”.
In addition to dance, she is a professional model, appearing on two Essence Magazine covers as well as print, voice-over, and runway nationally. In December 2001, Zazel discovered that she had meningioma, a benign brain tumor, which proceeded to paralyze her right side and resulted in a slight speech impediment and cognitive loss. After receiving extensive treatment at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (East Orange, NJ) and New York University Rusk Medical Center, Zazel was able to overcome the speech impediment, cognitive loss, and paralysis. Consciously deciding to make best use of this debilitating circumstance, Zazel transitioned into teaching dance as a healing form to the disabled and non-disabled alike, continuing to share her infectiously positive and fun spirit with others.
Her objective is to give those with disabilities a vehicle for self-expression, help them build a sense of self-esteem and self-reliance, and provide them with opportunities for community recognition and acclaim. She is also passionate about raising public awareness about the challenges facing and the gifts offered by those with disabilities.
Event: Dance-Based Exercise for Self-Care and Mindfulness
