Nelly moves for joy
“Physical activity relaxes me and makes me happier.”
Nelly moves through dance, biking, and scooting. Each activity gives her something different: music, speed, friendship, confidence, and the feeling of being happier.
For Nelly Arno, movement makes ordinary days feel brighter.
“Physical activity relaxes me and makes me happier,” she says.
Nelly moves in different ways. She dances, rides her bike, and goes outside on her scooter. During the COVID emergency, she could still ride her bicycle and use her scooter, even though her dance activities had to pause and a Musical Theatre group performance at Toronto Dance Industry was postponed.
Each activity has its own feeling.
“My favourite aspect in dancing is the music,” Nelly says. “My favourite aspect in scooting is the speed and bringing me to places. My favourite aspect in biking is also the speed, bringing me to places, and relaxation.”
Dance has also brought friendship. In Latin Dance class at AfroLatino, Nelly met another girl her age. They started talking, smiling, and holding hands in class. The teacher suggested they make a playdate instead of chatting during the lesson. Their parents exchanged numbers, and the next weekend Nelly visited the girl’s home.
“This is one of my nice memories about dancing,” she says.
Biking gave Nelly another kind of joy. She remembers learning with her grandmother, who held the back of her seat and handlebars while she pedalled without training wheels. Then, without Nelly realizing, her grandmother let go.
“When I noticed she had let go, I rode a few more metres and I stopped, since I was surprised,” Nelly says.
Once they returned from the nature ride, Nelly tried again on her own.
“I tried riding my bicycle by myself and I did it,” she says. “This made me feel so proud of myself, that ever since I learned, I loved riding my bike.”
For Nelly, movement is music, speed, friendship, squirrels in the park, a scooter that takes her places, and a bicycle that once made her feel faster than the grown-ups.
Nelly moves for joy.