How to Dance in Ohio

Director: Alexandra Shiva

Institute History

  • 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Making friends, working with others, and generally having a meaningful social life can be hard for anyone. For the half a million young people on the autism spectrum who will be entering the adult world over the next 10 years, these everyday challenges are sources of intense anxiety and fear.

In Columbus, Ohio, a group of autistic teenagers and young adults role-play this transition by going through the deceptively complex social interactions of preparing for a spring formal. Focusing on several young women as they go through an iconic American rite of passage, we are given intimate access to people who are often unable to share their experiences with others. With humor and heartbreak, How to Dance in Ohio shows the daily courage of people facing their fears and opening themselves to the pain, worry, and joy of the social world. —S.S.

— S.S

Screening Details

Credits

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