Set Your Spirit Free Through Dance
By Lynne Meyer
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“To dance is to be out of yourself more beautiful, more creative, more powerful.”
– Agnes deMille, dancer, choreographer
(1905-1993)
Leaping, gliding, twisting and sliding. Dance is available to everyone, regardless of age or physical condition. You can do it slowly, frenetically, gracefully or passionately. You can dance with a partner, alone or in a crowd. Dance can be tremendously athletic or gentle and soothing. Dance can be one of the purest forms of self-expression. It can free the spirit and unleash a burst of creativity. That kind of spirit and creativity are hallmarks of Cleveland's Dancing Wheels, an extraordinary dance company.
Established in 1980 by Mary Verdi-Fletcher, Dancing Wheels combines professional stand-up and wheelchair dancers performing together in a completely new art form called integrated dance. Verdi-Fletcher, president and founding artistic director, is America's first professional wheelchair dancer. “I believe that dancing makes me a complete person,” Verdi-Fletcher says. “It seems as though when I'm dancing, my body transcends my disability, and my spirit takes flight. I can't think of any time or place in which I feel as free as when I'm dancing.” In addition to being a totally new art form, integrated dance has created opportunities for individuals with disabilities to express themselves and has changed the way in which these individuals are perceived.
“Dance is the hidden language of the spirit and the song of the body.”
– Martha Graham, dancer, choreographer (1894-1991)
While the juxtaposition of stand-up and sit-down dancers may sound a bit unusual when you first hear about it, this integrated dance form is exquisite. Instead of being a liability, the wheelchairs introduce a unique and unexpected element to the choreography. To see Dancing Wheels perform is to witness the amazing passion they bring to their craft as they push the boundaries of artistic self-expression.
“Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of human actions. It is life itself.”
– Ruth St. Denis, dancer, choreographer
(1879-1968)
Dance offers universal advantages to anyone – whether wheelchair-users or non-disabled, young or old, professional or untrained. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, dancing provides the body with many health benefits. It can increase energy, help reduce stress, promote better sleep and improve strength, muscle tone and coordination. Depending on how long and intense, dancing can also burn as many calories as walking or riding a bike. The National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute recognizes the benefits of dance in lowering coronary heart disease risk, decreasing blood pressure and managing weight. Another advantage of dancing is that weight-bearing movements can strengthen the bones of arms, torso, legs and hips, and it increases endurance – all of which are important for maintaining bone health. People recovering from injuries can even use dance as part of a rehabilitation program.
Dance can benefit the mind as well, offering a temporary breather from reality. Dancing can bring you so fully into the moment that you truly forget about the world around you. Regardless of your shape, size or physical ability, dancing offers you a wonderful emotional lift. And, the best part of dancing is the fun you can have while you are doing something great for your body and your emotions.
“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them”
– Vicki Baum, Austrian writer (1888-1960)
According to Melaina Louise, school administrator and instructor at the School of Dancing Wheels, “Dance is wonderful exercise. It's terrific conditioning.” Louise teaches both adults and children in integrated dance classes. “Dance is especially good for children because it gets them moving.” As an added benefit, Louise says she sees the students develop a sense of pride and confidence as they progress, and she refers to dancers as “artistic athletes.” Albert Einstein once said something very similar: “Dancers are the athletes of God.”
Eighteen-year-old Alison Tanker first attended the School of Dancing Wheels when she was 14. Now a high-school senior, Alison thinks of dancing as a journey. “I've experienced real personal growth through the years I've been a part of Dancing Wheels,” she explains. “Dance has always been my form of expression. It allows me to pour my emotions out through movement. I believe that for many, dance provides a world in which to escape from the stresses of everyday life.”
“Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.”
– Kurt Vonnegut, writer (1922- )
We all have an inner dancer waiting to be released. “I think everyone should dance,” Mary Verdi-Fletcher says. “It would make our world a better place.”
Dancing Wheels, celebrating its 25th anniversary with its 2005/2006 season, will present a special 25th anniversary concert at the Allen Theater at Playhouse Square on May 13. The Dancing Wheels School of Dance offers instructions for dancers of all ages, with and without disabilities. For information, please call (216)432-0306 or go to www.dancingwheels.org.
Lynne Meyer, APR, works for the Communications Factory, a full-service ad agency that helps emerging companies grow by melding big agency know-how with the entrepreneurial spirit of a small shop. To contact Lynne, visit www.communicationsfactory.net or call (330) 274-8812.
Photos by Al Fuchs.
