victoria McGuigan

Victoria McGuigan is a dancer, choreographer, and performing arts educator who developed the Autism Bridge Initiative as her company to merge her expertise in dance theater with her work supporting the neurodiverse community. She began this work around 2010-2011 while teaching at Temple University in Philadelphia, initially to assist her son who was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, and later expanded it to schools, universities, faith-based organizations, and community groups. Certified in DIR floor time, she leads efforts in advocacy, residency programs, speaker series on sensory processing disorder and creating accessible environments, and workshops using dance and dance theater as vehicles to promote inclusion and understanding of neurodiversity. She has received the Philadelphia Autism Project Award, grant monies from the William Penn Foundation, the Ellen Foreman Memorial Award in Choreography, and the Temple University Dance Educators Award for Dance Education. McGuigan is a member of the National Dance Education Organization and a special needs and disability awareness group, has served on the board of Dance Conduit, worked with Allens Lane Arts Center, and is currently building a nonprofit to establish a brick-and-mortar arts center for individuals with disabilities.