The answer to this is yes, integrated dance companies are just as real and professional as other dance companies you may see perform anywhere in the world. They take classes, rehearse, and perform in front of an audience. Most companies offer classes to the public as well, furthering the advancement of their art-form.
Some companies are subdivisions of larger traditional companies. The Dancing Wheels are a wonderful example of this because they are division of the Cleveland Ballet. Some of the standing dancers like Dang Ngoc Hoang, started out at the Cleveland ballet before joining the Dancing Wheels. Others like Nicole Deegan, came to the Dancing Wheels Company and School as her first professional dance experience.(2)
There are also recreational integrated programs all over the US. They may not be obvious, but they exist. I myself taught at a dance studio where according to the definition of integrated dance, we had two integrated classes. One of them was an acro class with a child living with mild cerebral palsey, and the other was a duo with one mentally delayed adult, and one "normal" younger relative. Neither of them were advertised as an integrated class, but they were.
