Janet Heathcote: School of Dance Visionary Director

March 10, 2019

 Janet Heathcote is a true inspiration to College of Adaptive Arts, to the special needs community, and to anyone who has ever had the pleasure to meeting and working with her. She’s been the Director of College of Adaptive Arts’ School of Dance since CAA created distinct Schools of Instruction back in 2013. Her and her husband were also early and instrumental members of the College of Adaptive Arts Mountain Movers leadership board to create this innovative collegiate model of lifelong education.


She holds the highest expectations of her students. The students come into classes with their heads held high, in the required black dance leotards, ready to learn and push the boundaries of their potential. She is a strong collaborator with fellow dance organizations such as the New Ballet, Los Gatos Ballet, and sjDANCEco. She is a fierce advocate for including all forms of dance and all abilities of dancers in the professional dance world. She was instrumental in facilitating the ability for one of our CAA dancers who happens to have Down syndrome to choreograph a piece which was performed on a professional stage, making history and raising the bar of possibility for artists and performers with differing abilities.


Janet is the mother to a CAA Professor who happens to have autism, a CAA student, and an CAA JR Cardinal College Prepper. She and her family have experienced their share of love and family anguish, and are a shining example of forging forward everyday with love, possibility, and strong family bonds. Janet is a sincere blessing to College of Adaptive Arts, and her legacy that she has set for the School of Dance will live and reverberate for generations to come.

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Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find: CAA Story #14: Student Samuel H.

By DeAnna Pursai • May 25, 2026
When Samuel Hinojosa first discovered his passion for videography and the performing arts, a passion he says is in his genes because he has family who are also in the arts, participating in theater productions and expressing himself through dance became a part of his daily routine. But when he turned 22, he suddenly aged out of the programs he had come to love, leaving a gap in both his routine and his creative outlet. That’s when a chance meeting completely changed his life. Samuel was in an Angels on Stage production when he just so happened to meet DeAnna Pursai and Dr. Pamela Lindsay in the audience. Realizing he was about to age out of Angels on Stage, they encouraged him to explore the opportunities available to him at CAA. Their guidance led him to finding a new beginning. At CAA, Samuel quickly found a place where he could continue to grow creatively. He enrolled in videography, acting, and dance classes, reconnecting him with his passion for performing. After taking many performing arts classes, Samuel started exploring what other classes CAA had to offer. He has joined the CAA Go Green Climate Action Class, where he did a phenomenal presentation on UNESCO and how climate change is impacting his native roots community in Mexico. Now in his second semester at CAA, Samuel has expanded his interests beyond just the stage and production lens. He’s developed an interest in bodybuilding and nutrition, exploring what those classes can teach him and how he can use that new confidence to improve his life. CAA’s supportive environment has allowed Samuel to continue exploring his passions, while also discovering new ones. It doesn’t matter if he is behind the camera, performing, or focusing on his health and fitness goals, CAA is constantly pushing Samuel to try new things and grow. For Samuel, CAA is not just a place for him to take classes, it is a community where he can express himself, try new things, and keep moving forward. — Written by Nina Pal Volunteer

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CAA's Director of the School of Communications

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