Posted: 4/18/2008 at 02:46 PM
member(s) liked this post.
Email this to a Friend
Thanks to Wheelchair Dancer's blog, I've discovered that I totally love videos of physically integrated dance. But I'm not a dancer. I'm a klutz. And yes, anyone can dance, anyone can sing, but I stink at it and don't know any of the fancy terms or how to evaluate a dance performance and movement and all that. But I know what I think is beautiful and fun to watch, so here are my top fourfavorite YouTube videos of dancers who use wheelchairs (in no particular order):
In the video below, Marcie Ryan, a samba dancing wheelchair user is pretty in pink, and and pops some awesome wheelies while performing at the New Jersey State Open Dancesport Championships in 2005. Her able-bodied partner is Rubin Zakiryanov, and he's not too hard on the eyes, either!
The next video is a big change from the first one. And, technically, I'm cheating a little, here- this isn't a wheelchair dance video. I think it counts, though; it's dance with bodies that don't fit the societal norm, and it's so remarkable that I just had to add it in.
The third video is a tango by dancers identified as Lisandro and Spirit Synott. They are dancing before a small audience. My favorite part of this video is that it demonstrates first her ability to carry him- in her chair- and THEN his ability to lift her briefly from her chair and carry her. It strikes me as very empowering that the video demonstrates the power of both types of mobility shown to support another person.
The last video is probably the most accessible to dance novices like myself. It features a dance competition in Europe and several dance styles, with captions that introduce each style of dance and give a couple of essential elements like "energy" for each. The dancers are fantastic. I'm loving the clothes, too! Don't particularly care for the lyrics to the waltz music, though.
That's it! There are four because, well, five is overrated, and so is three. The number four never gets any love. Enjoy!
Your comment may take up to 15 minutes to appear.
WOW BREATHTAKING ! I NOW HOW NEW HOPE THAT HERE IS LIFE IN A CHAIR ! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS ! NOW I DRY MY EYES AND WATCH IT FOR A SECOND TIME RAINEY
Rainey, thanks for the sweet comment! It made me sniffle a little bit :) Glad I could make your day a little nicer.
Sign In | Join Disaboom Today!
Popular Blog Posts
