For more culture that includes everyone

"No matter what play I'm in or what I'm dancing, when I'm on stage I have the courage to do things that I wouldn't otherwise dare to do. I feel free." Sandra Fernandes Fitas is a professional artist in the Dadofonic collective at Ligue HMC. She has been passionate about the performing arts since childhood, because acting, dancing and writing allow her to express feelings, thoughts and worries that you otherwise wouldn't directly see in the cheerful culture lover's face and for which she cannot always find the right words. "I can't really say exactly what I have. I just have difficulties reading and sometimes speaking, " explains Sandra.

Her disability is invisible and hardly noticeable, even in direct dialogue, because when Sandra talks about theatre, her passion stands above her impairment. It wasn't always like this in the past; the artist remembers less enjoyable moments in her life. As a teenager, she was the only one with special needs in dance and was bullied by her peers because she was "different". It wasn't until she took part in a play by the Scouts, in which neurodiverse and neurotypical people played an equal role, that she realised that things could be different – and decided to become an actress. "I would also like to dance more, but people have to respect me, with all my tics, " says the member of the collective.

The dream of being seen

Fränckie Friederich, a professional actor, juggler and writer from the collective, is also part of her group. Although the 33-year-old lives independently, he needs help with some everyday things because he also has specific needs. "I'm not under guardianship, but I can't make bank transfers alone, for example, because things to do with computers in particular overwhelm me, " explains Fränckie. He and Sandra need a certain amount of support, which is provided by the collective. In the sheltered workshop, the artists spend their working hours creating, learning new skills and rehearsing, because their disability does not prevent the Dadofonics from pursuing their dream of performing in front of an audience.

"Being on stage gives me a lot of adrenaline, in a positive way. It's a feeling you can't even describe, " says Fränckie, who prefers performing on the street to in the theatre, in direct interaction with his audience. The permanent job in the collective was a surprise for the 33-year-old at the time, because "I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't even realise that I would be able to make a living from art".