The foundation of DanceSport is expression. Technique, movement, rhythm is all a dancer’s own. Special Olympics Utah athlete Natalie Green began to develop the building blocks of that foundation in middle school, where she became involved with theatre and dance. And in high school, she performed in her first onstage production, Disney’s “Frozen JR.,” with a community group for performers with and without disabilities. Surrounded by like-minded artists and actors, Natalie refined her talent with tools learned from her mentors.
With an inherited eye for creativity, Natalie continues to improve her artistic abilities through practice. Her approach to the physical and spiritual art of dance transcends the stage to shine in more materialistic forms. From traditional to digital art, her canvas knows no limits.
“I learned to draw and design on my own,” said Natalie. “I got inspired to start because my sister is an artist.”
At the age of 7, Natalie took early steps to creating on her own. Nearly two decades later, Natalie and her sister, Melissa, are drafting and designing accompanying artwork for their first book, “Stand – An Inclusion Story.” The book’s name is based on a song written by their family friends, called “Stand.” Played in special education classrooms across the United States and Canada, the song teaches its listeners to stand up for each other, to be there for each other.
“With books, it’s important to teach inclusion,” said Natalie. “Like, the main characters are all different. One character is African American, one has a prosthetic leg, and one is part of the LGBTQ community, because that is all important to me. Both kids and adults should know that they are all loved, and they are all important. They should know that they can be who they are, and that we will always be there for each other.”
Now in the design process, Natalie has brought her characters to life through digital recreations. Amelia, Cooper and Violet are the best of friends. One day, they will teach readers about how inclusion, learned in the pages of books, can apply to classrooms, workplaces, communities everywhere. Through art, Natalie also promotes the message of inclusion in wearable designs. The Athlete Design Collection, now available for purchase through Special Olympics, features items designed by Special Olympics athletes. Natalie and her father, Greg Green, based their T-shirt design on words shared by Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, Washington.
The T-shirt reads, “Show the world what it looks like to lead from the heart.” Through her art and advocacy, Natalie does just that. For the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, Natalie attended as a youth leader. She served as staff-in-training for Special Olympics North America in the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, where her story was shared in the Humans of New York coverage of the Games. Using her experiences to promote inclusion, she also hosts the Dad n’ Nat Unified Nation podcast, an exploration of the #GenerationUnified movement.
Adding to her portfolio, Natalie will collect even more experience at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, where she will represent Special Olympics USA in DanceSport. Win or lose, she will lead from the heart, she will lead through her art, an expression, a rhythm of her own.