Sue Brotherwood’s lifelong passion for dance has taken on a new purpose in Montreal, shaped in large part by her son, whose love of movement inspired her to create more inclusive spaces for young performers.
Long before she became a mother, a teacher and a trained occupational therapist, Brotherwood was a dancer — and that early foundation continues to guide her work today.
“Oh, huge role,” she says of dance’s place in her childhood. “That was my, I think, escapism, discipline. But mostly escapism into fantasy.”
Sue Brotherwood (centre) with students Kevin Miri (left) and Sacha Wehbi (right) at Roslyn Elementary School, Westmount, on Nov. 25, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A life shaped by dance and education
Brotherwood studied physical education with a focus on dance and remedial education in England before continuing her training at The Place in London. She later trained as both an occupational therapist and art therapist.
Her son Matthew, who has trisomy 21, would eventually shape the direction her work took in Canada. He often attended her classes growing up. “He loved dancing, but would always be one or two steps behind the other kids. And it was always a bit difficult. So I thought, why not start my own?”
A meeting with a woman from Concordia led to a collaboration. Together, they brought the idea of a dedicated dance group for individuals with trisomy 21 to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. “We got chatting with her, and then we went to Le Grand and put it forward to them. And Le Grand loved the idea.”
Founding and evolving Dance 21
Dance 21 began in 2017, named for trisomy 21. It started as a single class and soon expanded, welcoming youth with a range of disabilities. As participation grew, so did the program’s identity.
“It really wasn’t Dance 21. That’s what we wanted it to become, but we opened it up to far more people, far more young adults,” Brotherwood said.
It later operated as Dance 21 Plus and is now known as Musical Theatre at Les Studios at Le Grand, based at Place des Arts.
Students of the Dance 21 class. (Submitted by: Nick Brotherwood)
Brotherwood hopes the visibility of neurodiverse dancers continues to grow. “Le Grand are definitely trying to, that’s the whole ethos on a Sunday is full, different challenges.”
She also carries a personal dream: “I would love to see Dance 21 Plus to perform maybe even on a huge stage. And also my dream would be Matthew, who’s a beautiful dancer, to dance with a professional dancer and have a dance choreographed with him.”
Bringing dance into the classroom
During the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal funding through Les Grands Ballets helped introduce adapted dance programming into local schools. This brought Brotherwood to Roslyn Elementary School, where she taught in the school’s former WINGS classroom — a program for neurodivergent students.
“I am the dance teacher for the Wings Boys, although there’s no Wings class anymore,” she said.
Roslyn Elementary School, Westmount, on Nov. 25, 2025 (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
The class ended last summer, and the students were integrated into regular classrooms.
The shift changed how dance fits into their school day.
“When it was a special class, when it was a separate class, it was easy. We just was part of their curriculum. Now that they’re in two different classes, it is much more difficult to fit in.”
She still teaches them together before they return to their respective classes. “It is very, very different from how we were doing it before.”
Roslyn principal Johanna Genovezos says the movement program has been meaningful for neurodivergent students. “At first I wasn’t quite sure what that would look like, but the program has had a great impact on the children,” she said.
Joanna Genovezos, principal at Roslyn Elementary School, Westmount, on Nov. 25, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A natural connection to dance formed quickly, she added.
Genovezos says the program has had a significant impact on students, particularly those who are neurodivergent. She said many struggle to express their emotions verbally, and she found that dance gave them another way to communicate. Movement allowed them to release feelings they couldn’t otherwise articulate, and she saw pent-up emotions surface in a healthy way. For many of the children, the experience was both fun and therapeutic.
Without a dedicated WINGS classroom, Genovezos notes there are challenges.
“Of course the challenges for the children to be able to be who they are in the classroom is a challenge. They do have people who support them in the school, and of course Ms. Tu is one of those people who also is continuing to offer this program to the students here in the school who might need that kind of form of expression.”
A growing impact on students
Brotherwood has seen many students grow through movement.
“When I first started, it was like five boys, but now they’ve all graduated and moved to other schools,” she said. She remembers one student who “would never touch my hand ever,” but eventually became her partner every class.
Another, who initially refused to join, started by DJing before gradually participating. “So it was really good for bonding and things like that.”
Sue Brotherwood with students Kevin Miri and Sacha Wehbi at Roslyn Elementary School, Westmount, on Nov. 25, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Current students reflect that same connection.
Grade 6 student Kevin Miri reflected on his long for dance.
“Ever since I came to Roslyn, I’ve been doing dancing with Miss Sue from Grade 2 and honestly it’s really fun to do it,” he said.
He added that Miss Sue always teaches new dance moves.
Grade 4 student Sacha Wehbi says he likes dancing because “it’s fun,” and his favourite part of Miss Sue’s class is “that you can dance.”
Matthew, now a young adult, continues to dance at Les Studios.
“It means to be creative,” he said.
“It’s very exciting to perform and dancing to the audience. I feel more comfortable around the audience.”
Matthew Brotherwood, participant in Musical Theatre at Les Studios and Sue’s son, at Roslyn Elementary School, Westmount, on Nov. 25, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Brotherwood sees the effect: “It’s made him come out. I mean, he’s quite a shy person and it makes him really come out and he’s proud of himself and he just adores dancing.”
A program still growing
Brotherwood continues teaching at Roslyn and with Musical Theatre at Les Studios. Her approach balances integration with the value of dedicated spaces.
“I’m for integration, but there are times when it’s good for them to shine on their own terms, at their own pace, at the way that they see things.”
She remains committed to accessibility.
Her work continues to bridge professional dance environments with neurodiverse communities, broadening representation and strengthening opportunities for young performers across Montreal.
To read more about stories like this, you can head to Inspirations News.
