Sparks bring big smiles to Magic City

Life for local dance instructor Lindsey Hull took on a different focus two years ago, when, during a trip to Orlando, Florida, Hull watched as a team of dancers with special needs took the stage and stole the show.

“I was really inspired by them,” said Hull. “I know how important dancing has been in my life, and to see the joy it brought that team made me want to share it all over again.”

Hull has been a dancer for as long as she can remember. She put on her own dancing shoes when she was only 2 years old. Since then, she’s never taken them off. 

“Dancing gave me so much self-confidence,” said Hull. “It gave me an outlet to perform onstage, to tackle my fears and as a consequence, excel in other areas of my life.”

Hull is currently coach of the Mountain Brook High School Dorians and is a graduate of Auburn University, where she earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She has worked with Universal Dance Association since 2000, has coached the UAB Golden Girls, and choreographs for some area middle and high school dance teams. She is also a veteran judge for the National Dance Team Championship and served for seven years as the Alabama State Dance Invitational coordinator.

“Dancing has brought me so many opportunities,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”

If dancing did that for her, said Hull, she knew it could do the same for others regardless of their technical abilities. 

When she returned to Birmingham, Hull contacted the Exceptional Foundation and began laying the foundation for what would eventually become the Magic City Sparks, a group of dancers with special needs of all ages. Since 1994, Homewood’s Exceptional Foundation has served about 125 people, ages 5-80, with autism, spina bifida, Down syndrome and other developmental conditions, providing them opportunities to play sports and engage in other activities. Hull said she knew it was the perfect fit for the dance team. 

For the first year, in 2014, Hull had 10 dancers, ranging in age from 13 to 23 years old. The team practiced once a week from October through January, learning everything from dance techniques to dance routines. 

One of the most special aspects of the team, said Hull, was the community involvement. That first year, Hull had reached out to Vestavia Hills High School in search of volunteers to help with the weekly practices. More than 40 girls signed up as volunteers.

“I had more volunteers than I knew what to do with,” said Hull with a laugh. “It was amazing to see that kind of reaction.”

Today, the team works with volunteers from other surrounding communities, including Mountain Brook and Homewood. Most of the volunteers are dancers themselves, said Hull, but not all. 

“The volunteers are known as the ‘Sparklers,’” said Hull. “They help the ‘Sparks’ along in case they are having a bad day.”

Because the dancers have a wide range of needs, Hull said the volunteers’ patience and dedication is key. 

Together, the Sparks and their Sparklers have performed at an assortment of events, including Vestavia Hills High School basketball games and a UAB basketball games. One of the team’s proudest moments, said Hull, was when they competed in the UDA Alabama Dance Championship in January were the team earned the “most crowd appeal” award. 

“That was a big deal,” said Hull. “That’s a great award for our team.”

The Sparks, she said, aren’t required to participate in the public dance routines, but most of them do.

“Some of them are shy,” she said, “but there are a couple who love it. They’d be on a stage every day if they could.”

This year’s team had 16 dancers, said Hull, nine boys and 7 girls. The dancers range in age from 6 to 23 years old. Though the official dance season ended in January, the team performed a few more times before practices start back up again in October. The team performed at the Exceptional Foundation’s 12th annual Chili Cook-Off scheduled the same day. 

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to teach these dancers and so proud of the high school students for all they do,” said Hull. “We do it because we love it and we can’t wait to continue spreading the love.”

For more information on the Exceptional Foundation, visit exceptionalfoundation.org.