ABOUT
Allison Ballard, MA, DMT
Interdisciplinary Artist • Educator • Consultant • Nonprofit Professional
For more than 30 years, I have worked where movement, rhythm, creative expression, disability, education, and human connection meet.
I am an interdisciplinary performance artist, educator, consultant, dance/movement therapist, behavior consultant, and nonprofit professional. My work is grounded in the belief that creative and embodied experiences can expand how we understand ourselves and one another.
I earned a Master of Arts in Dance/Movement Therapy from Columbia College Chicago in 2003 and have continued to develop my work through training in trauma-informed expressive arts, music, rhythm, and movement.
In 2000, I founded Fort Wayne Taiko, a drumming and movement ensemble rooted in Japanese tradition and the first performing Taiko group in Indiana. I continue to perform with the ensemble as a featured artist.
Since 2008, I have served as Director of the Jesters, an interdisciplinary, intergenerational performing arts program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the University of Saint Francis. Through nearly two decades with the Jesters, I have experienced firsthand the power of performance and collective creativity to create spaces where people of all abilities can be seen, heard, valued, and celebrated.
I also work as a behavior consultant, supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the organizations and care teams around them. My approach begins with curiosity and respect, recognizing that behavior communicates something about a person's experience, needs, environment, or relationships.
For over 30 years, I have worked with the Fort Wayne Dance Collective (FWDC) as an administrator and teaching artist. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, FWDC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering people of all identities, abilities, and stages of life through movement arts. I currently serve as FWDC's Finance and Strategy Director, bringing together my experience in nonprofit administration, program development, community engagement, fundraising, and organizational strategy. My ongoing work with FWDC continues to deepen my understanding of how the arts can build connection, increase access, and create meaningful opportunities for people across diverse communities.
My career as an artist, educator, consultant, and nonprofit professional ultimately led to the creation of Indigo Group LLC in 2021.
Indigo Group brings these many strands together.
The result is work that is creative, practical, experiential, and deeply human.