Wheelchair Dancers Shine in Royal Ballet's Inclusive Giselle Performance

The Power of Inclusive Dance

For years, I thought I wasn't cut out for dance. My body would quickly become exhausted, and I never seemed to find my rhythm. That was until I was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a rare and progressive neuromuscular disease that causes nerve damage, muscle weakness, and mobility loss.

A Life-Changing Experience

But then I stumbled upon an adaptive ballet class sponsored by Allied Mobility and in association with the Royal Ballet School. The class was led by Kate Stanforth, a professional wheelchair-using dancer, and Rachael Hunt, international artistic manager at the Royal Ballet School. As I entered the dance studio, I was nervous, but my anxiety melted away when I saw a dozen wheelchair-using dancers spread out in a circle, doing warm-up exercises.

The Beauty of Adaptive Dance

We worked on a dance repertoire from Giselle, a classic romantic ballet from the 19th century. Watching the dancers glide across the room, their arms extended, and their wheelchairs moving in sync, was truly breathtaking. It was like swimming through the air.

A Growing Community

Stanforth told us that the class was oversubscribed, with hundreds of dancers on the waiting list. The interest in adaptive dance classes and workshops is clear. As Stanforth said, 'This community is not small or rare – it has simply not always been visible.' The Royal Ballet School's inclusive ballet classes with the Kate Stanforth Academy of Arts are a step in the right direction towards a more open and inclusive future for ballet.

A New Era for Dance

The industry needs more people like Stanforth, working to make dance accessible to all. With classes like this, it's clear that there is a place for disabled people in dance. I left the class feeling motivated to turn my adaptive ballet experience into a hobby. The future of dance is inclusive, and it's beautiful to behold.