Their laughter elevated the energy level in the room.

“1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8.”

Director Emily (Moore) Mirabile and her Arts for All singers and dancers are moving to the sounds of “Under the Sea,” in front of the mirrored wall in the Y-Arts annex of the Boothbay Region YMCA.

As “The Little Mermaid” song fills the air, Mirabile calls out the moves: “swim,” “seaweed,” “aloha” and “snorkle,” to which the performers, aged 8 to 48, responded. Why? They’re preparing for an April 26 show at the Boothbay Playhouse at 1 p.m.

The All for Arts group has 10 participants from Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor, five from Damariscotta and one from Waldoboro.

In addition to the Disney dance number, the performers will dance to Abba's “Dancing Queen,” sing The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” and “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2.”

The group breaks for snacks and water midway through the 90 minute workshop/rehearsal.

“I like to and its good exercise and want to be in the play. I want to do jazz to My first time and I want to keep doing it,” said Angela, one performer.

Josh has donned a pair of black sunglasses that the Blues Brothers would long for. In fact, Y-Arts performer Joel Biron is encouraging Josh to wear them during the show — that's how great they are, and how great they make Josh feel.

“I started last April, I think. I did ‘Beauty & the Beast,’ ‘Seussical,’ and ‘Mama Mia’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ I like the singing and dancing and socializing,” Josh said.

James, a young man from Damariscotta, said his friend Samantha told him about the program.

“It's fun. I just like to do it,” James said. “I used to perform when I was in school, too.”

“I told him (James) how much fun I had. I really like the singing and dancing,” Samantha said.

The singing and dancing, the movement, the sound of the music moves everyone in the room, from the Arts for All participants, to the Y-Arts performers (Courtney Chaney, Genevieve Taylor, Lincoln Hamblett and Biron), to the special education personnel present, and the program volunteers.

The program, Arts for All, was founded by Helen Meserve and Ginny Bishop in 2011. It's based on the nonprofit New York organization, “Potential Unlimited,” of which Meserve is one of the founding directors. The Empire State program has been going strong since 1990, producing musicals and workshops for musicians with intellectual disabilities.

At the Boothbay YMCA, the program is held the third Saturday the months of September through December and February through April. The first few years it consisted of a little song, a little dance, some skits — lots of movement. This year is the first year Arts For All will culminate in a stage performance.

Anne Barker is a nurse practitioner at the Family Care Center in the Harbor and a YMCA board member. Barker was at the March 22 workshop with her daughter. Later, when rehearsing “Let It Be,” she became the piano accompanist.

Before Arts for All came about, Barker said the board had been doing a lot of brainstorming on how the Y could reach 100 percent of the youth in the region.

“Helen (Meserve) had experience with a group in New York, when she lived there, and had the idea to start one here,” Barker said.

Like the New York program, participants need only have an interest in, and capacity for, following one-step directions. Unlike the New York program, there is no charge to participate. Any costs, snacks or costumes for the performance (this year tye-dyed T-shirts and sunglasses for the “Dancing Queen” bit) are covered by the Y.

“I'm looking forward to seeing the show,” YMCA Executive Director Andy Hamblett said. “This program is one of our great successes. It's wonderful to see the diversity of the volunteers under Emily's leadership. Arts for All helps our mission of reaching out to all. We plan to build on it — beyond the arts."

“It's great,” Barker said. “More and more young adults are willing to take risks, be accepted in a group, and to be on stage. They are being much more integrated into the community.”

Meserve noted that, in addition to performance, such programs provide camaraderie that is often lost, once school is completed. Many intellectually challenged individuals do work, but miss the school groups they had to leave behind.

“At 19 they're dispersed out and are no longer in the group at school. Here they can be part of a group again, it's nice to have people to interact with,” Meserve said. “Music breaks down all barriers.”

Mirabile was tapped to be the Y's Arts & Humanities director following her mom, Ginny Bishop, who retired in the spring of 2013. Bishop, a musical theater actor, founded the highly successful Y-Arts Program in which children and adults have increased the flow of their creative juices as singers, dancers and actors under her guidance.

A gifted actor/singer/choreographer in her own right, Mirabile began directing the Arts for All program in the fall of 2013 after helping Bishop since the beginning.

The Y-Arts group won the Playbill Community Service Award at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta (and $1,000) this year, due to members' participation in the Arts for All program.

Mirabile said last year's performance workshops were filmed and shown to the group of participants, as well as the Atlanta audience.

“Integrating the Y-Arts kids with the Arts for All kids has brought two worlds together singing, dancing and enjoying each other's company,” Meserve said. “I think the kids volunteering have learned a lot too. Music breaks down barriers, and when all those young people are singing and dancing together, they are one and the same; differences melt away and there is nothing but joy in the moment. It is a beautiful thing to see."

“We have a larger group this year — about 10 or more come frequently,” Mirabile said. “There's more dancing this year. Now they know Joel, Courtney and Lincoln. Everyone's having a great time.”

There is a sense of freedom and acceptance at the March 22 workshop. Meserve attributes that to Mirabile.

“Emily is open, encouraging, warm and empathetic,” Meserve said. “Her dedication to music as an art form, her enthusiasm and her ability to work with young people makes it easy for all who participate to respond. It's wonderful to see her taking it further (from skits at the annex to the stage).”

Seussian-looking fish on sticks appear and bright-colored fish hats are distributed among the actors. And it's time to go “Under the Sea” again.

The last workshop/rehearsal is the day of the show: Saturday, April 26. Curtain is at 1 p.m. and admission is free.

The Boothbay Playhouse is located at 275 Wiscasset Road (Route 27) in Boothbay.

For more information, email emirabile@brymca.org or call 207-633-2855. To make a donation in support of this program, call Doris at the Boothbay YMCA at 207-633-2855.