About Our Programs
We teach students real life 21st century skills needed for success in an autism friendly environment during our one week summer camps and our more intensive year around programs! During each DaniMation program, students create characters that talk, sing, dance and hop across the computer screen while learning valuable skills they’ll use throughout their lives. The program includes animating, writing, story-boarding and editing and encourages communication, confidence, teamwork and collaboration through the creation of a short personal animation or working on a larger group project that is presented at the end of the session to family and friends.
History of the Program
Dani Bowman started teaching animation at age 15 at Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films Summer film camps in Jacksonville, FL, Tenafly, NJ, and Detroit, MI. From this beginning, Dani has expanded her Danimation program to six summer workshops including two in the UK in partnership with the University of Plymouth, and fall/spring Saturday classes in conjunction with Spectrum Laboratory. In total Dani has taught well over 1000 participants with autism animation.
Summer Programs 2020
During the 1-week course each student develops their own animation from concept to completion. The process starts with a brainstorming activity which is then translated to a storyboard. Once each student finishes their storyboard, they pitch their story to other students and staff, receiving feedback on improving and further developing their own story. Over the course of the next four days, the students work to complete their film which is then included in the showcase and completion presentation on Friday attended by family and friends.
Danimation has scheduled the following camps and workshops for Summer 2020.
Animation Gets Real – Miami and Tampa Florida
- Tampa, FL June 8th-12th, 2020
- North Miami, FL June 15th-19th, 2020
- South Miami, FL June 22th-26th, 2020
- Tampa, FL June 29th-July 3rd, 2020
Let’s Animate – Los Angeles and Plymouth UK
- Los Angeles TBD – Visual Story Telling Class
- Montrose, CA July 20th-24th, 2020
- University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK August 3rd-14th, 2020.
More information coming soon on these pages.
Please contact us at this link to receive updates to our summer programs.
Let's Animate Los Angeles
Impact On Family
Let's Animate - Plymouth UK 2019
Animation Gets Real - Miami, FL 2019
Arts4All Miami 2018
Arts4All Tampa 2018
Inclusion Films 2018
BBC Spotlight Devon UK
Ocalicon Keynote Autism & Employment
Arts4All Florida
Comic Con Palm Springs
Program Sponsoring Locations
Local Danimation Programs Are Brought to You by the Following Organizations
Animation Gets Real Miami, FL
Animation Gets Real Miami is presented by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs All Kids Included Initiative in partnership with Miami-Dade Public Library System, Arts4All Florida and Arts for Learning/Miami.
Animation Gets Real Tampa, FL
A private not-for-profit organization, Arts4All Florida conducts art education programs in schools, Department of Juvenile Justice facilities, and community centers; promotes the accomplishments of artists with disabilities through our artist registry, exhibitions, and performances; and increases access to the arts through professional development workshops. Arts4All Florida is headquartered in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. Visit Arts4AllFlorida
Spec Saturday Animation Workshop, Los Angeles, California
Spec Saturday Animation Workshop is presented by Spectrum Laboratory, who’s mission is to provide education, entertainment and empowerment for the autistic and neuro-diverse communities through the arts while developing professional skills, building social connections and self esteem while exploring passions and desires! Visit Spectrum Laboratory
Spring/Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 Programs Los Angeles, CA
Spectrum Laboratory
Danimation teaches Fall and Spring in conjunction with Spectrum Laboratory. This program offers Beginner and Advanced Courses, with students in the Advanced Classes eligible to work on projects for Spectrum Laboratory clients.
*Must bring your own laptop to class and a drawing tablet is preferred, but not required. If you don’t have a laptop, we have a limited number of in class computers available.
Next semester will start about the first week of September.
Advanced Class Saturdays 10 – 12pm
Beginning Class Saturdays 12 – 2pm
Spec Saturday Animation Workshop Fall 2018 Reel
About Spec Saturday Animation Workshop
Spec Saturday Animation Workshop Spring 2018
More Information about Learning Outcomes and Our Approach
Founder Dani Bowman, who was diagnosed with ASD at age 3 and didn't speak until age 6, believes in the unique contribution that people with ASD can make. Consequently, Danimation employs with autism in it's programs and animation production. Additionally, all of Danimation's programs are held in an autism-friendly environment.
The digital animation class explores color theory, animation timing, character drawing, story boarding and layout, resulting in students creating their part of a complete narrative theme.
Our comprehensive program posits that optimal learning for students occurs within safe, caring, supportive, and intellectually stimulating environments. The program focuses on computer animation and skills utilizing ToonBoom Harmony while also teaching story development, story boarding and basic visual story telling techniques. The academic competencies explore targeted learning strategies and academic behaviors to develop an academic mindset and an attitude of perseverance with the additional goal encouraging further learning to develop hard skills to be successful in the workforce.
Danimation utilizes ten years of experience developing methods and strategies tailored to individuals ages 10-22 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Dani Bowman, a person with ASD started teaching at age 14, has 10 years' experience teaching animation to youth with ASD. Storytelling and animation will be used as a vehicle to teach art, develop technical skills and create an environment for social and emotional learning.
We promote SEL through providing additional support with assistants present to ensure the integration of socialization and SEL emphasis in each workshop. The collaborative nature of the workshops fosters socializing and stimulates cognitive growth and social success encourages student cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. The inclusion of the SEL component illuminates the goal of creating a cohesive narrative that involves communication and coordination among the peer groups.
