What is Integrated Dance?

Integrated Dance, is any dance where the dancers are at different ends of a spectrum. They may be old and young, live and on video, or they may be able bodied and differently able bodied.(1) This blog will focus on the last pairing and two of the top companies in the US. I hope to show how the two groups coming together as one impact the way we think about dance, and who can do it. 

Wheelchair Sport Dance is a type of Integrated Dance that will not be focused on. I prefer the dances that are designed for the stage. 

Are Integrated Dance Companies "Real" Dance Companies?

The answer to this is yes, integrated dance companies are just as real and professional as other dance companies you may see perform anywhere in the world. They take classes, rehearse, and perform in front of an audience. Most companies offer classes to the public as well, furthering the advancement of their art-form. 

Some companies are subdivisions of larger traditional companies. The Dancing Wheels are a wonderful example of this because they are division of the Cleveland Ballet. Some of the standing dancers like Dang Ngoc Hoang, started out at the Cleveland ballet before joining the Dancing Wheels.  Others like Nicole Deegan, came to the Dancing Wheels Company and School as her first professional dance experience.(2)

There are also recreational integrated programs all over the US. They may not be obvious, but they exist. I myself taught at a dance studio where according to the definition of integrated dance, we had two integrated classes. One of them was an acro class with a child living with mild cerebral palsey, and the other was a duo with one mentally delayed adult, and one "normal" younger relative. Neither of them were advertised as an integrated class, but they were. 

The Dancing Wheels

The Dancing Wheels Company is the first integrated modern dance company to utilize both stand up and sit down dancers. Mary Verdi-Fletcher started the company in 1980. She was born with spina bifida and later became the first professional wheelchair dancer in the US. 

 Mary wanted to demonstrate how people with disabilities could access and have prominence in the world of dance. Now the dancing wheels perform all over the world, and continue to educate others about the positive effects dance can have on people with perceived limitations. 

She, along with the other members of her company use innovative choreography to develop stories to tell through movement. They have a large repertoire that ranges from story ballets to rhythm and movement set to music.

Here is an example of the Dancing Wheels work. Unfortunately I could not embed any of their professional performances, but this will give some insight into what it is they do. 

Ultimately, my feelings about the Dancing Wheels can be summed up by the following picture...

AXIS Dance Company

Although the AXIS Dance Company and The Dancing Wheels are both integrated dance companies, they do have some differences. Most notable is the range of difference found in the AXIS company. Their dancers are not just able bodied or in regular manual wheelchairs. Some of them are in power-chairs, some are amputees that use crutches, others are supported by braces. They are all amazing to watch.

AXIS was created by founder Thais Mazur in 1987 in Oakland,California. He brought his contemporary dance pieces to audiences around the world and encouraged the spread of the art-form. Since 2001 the company has been directed by Judith Smith. She became disabled at 17 and threw herself into learning contact improv. This lead to her being a founding member of AXIS. She has collaborated with many choreographers to give the company a wide range of performance options. 

AXIS also has an educational program called Dance Access. They go to schools and other events to teach the public about integrated dance and to show children and teens that they can do anything they put their mind to. 

The following piece, danced by the AXIS Dance Company is what made me choose to do a blog on this topic. I found it late one night and couldn't stop watching it over and over again. 

Here is another...

Amazing Integrated Dance Videos

I thought a post with the many different video's I've found as inspirations would be appropriate. They made me want to learn more about the art-form. I hope one day to get to see a professional company live one day. 

I hope they are enjoyable, I found them to have incredible technique and be so beautiful. I'll admit, some of them made me cry. But then, I cried at Swan Lake to . 

What difference can dance make?

Dance has given so many people a way to express themselves. With this new art-form many people who would not be given the chance to dance, are now able to use dance to move their bodies, and open their minds. It also allows able bodied dancers to connect with those they may not have before.

Integrated dance allows everyone to reach their full potential through dance, and shows the rest of the world how with a little ingenuity, anyone can do just about anything. It seems that all of the dancers have a higher quality of life through working together. 

Here are some videos that use the dancers own stories to explain the good integrated dance can do.

References

(1)  http://e-dancewear.com/Disabled_Dance.html

 (2)   http://www.dancingwheels.org/

All videos can be clicked to be linked directly to their source.

Pictures came from either www.dancingwheels.org, www.axisdance.org, or directly from the companies themselves through email contact.