This weekend, the Dynamic Inclusive Dance organization will hold its 17th annual fundraiser showcase. Wheelchair dancing is when a person performs in a wheelchair, also known as seated dancing.
Dynamic Inclusive Dance is an extension of the Wheelchair Dancers Organization. Both groups offer inclusive movement opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.
This is the group’s biggest event of the year, and the theme is “Shine and Soar.”
Jason Rivers has been a Dynamic Inclusive Dance instructor for nine years. He said this showcase is exciting for everybody involved.
“ For them to be able to get up on stage and perform in front of a crowd is something that’s not available to people very often,” said Rivers. “So I think it's super special to have that opportunity.”
The showcase sells out yearly, attracting about 200 people, according to Rivers The show will have 19 different performances with a wide range of age groups on stage. Rivers said the dancers have been preparing for this show for a long time.
“This year we started working on cha-cha in January because the basic steps for some of the ballroom dances are pretty complicated,” said Rivers. “So we want lots of repetition, and then we really work on the routine in the summertime.”
The Wheelchair Dancers Organization began after founder Beverly Weurding was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that affected her limbs when she was 55 years old. She created the organization as a way to share her love of dancing with the disabled community. Weurding says the showcase is a beautiful opportunity for people to come together.
“We're very fortunate to have so many talented people that are coming forward, whether they are five years old or my age,” said Weurding. “We love it, and there's so much gratification, and we have a beautiful audience.”
One in four people in the United States has a disability, according to the CDC, leaving millions without the same physical opportunities as their peers. Stephanie Nichols Rodas is a board member for both organizations and a wheelchair dancer. When she got injured eight years ago, she thought she'd never dance in a group again until Dynamic Inclusive Dance showed her a new love for it.
“ It just inspires me, like dancing just makes my whole body feel involved. It feels like light inside me,” Rodas said. “It just makes me feel that I can do everything that I can put my mind on.”
The Wheelchair Dancers Organization and Dynamic Inclusive Dance offer classes in person or online to learn a wide range of dance styles such as ballroom, hip-hop and Bollywood, along with opportunities to take part in future showcases. Rodas encourages others without disabilities to be more considerate.
It's a community that's trying to strive, trying to be part of a world that is not made for us,” said Rodas. “So when we go out there and show people that we can, that means this world would be made for us too, and you guys can make it better and together we can just make it whole again.”
To see these dancers, come to the Champion Ballroom Academy on Sunday, Oct.5, from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at dynamicinclusivedance.org.
