Discussing Disability in Dance Project
One in four people in the US have a disability that impacts a major part of their life according to a 2018 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What if the dance world reflected that statistic?
Discussing Disability in Dance is a book project seeking to investigate and dismantle the language and stereotypes often used to describe professional dancers with disabilities. Spearheaded by Emmaly Wiederholt (founder/editor of Stance on Dance) and Silva Laukkanen (dance educator and podcaster) with illustrations by Liz Brent-Maldonado, the team is compiling interviews with various professional dance artists with disabilities around the country and world, asking about training, access and press, as well as looking at the state of the field.
We hope this project provides each reader with the opportunity to give some thought as to what assumptions are commonly made about dancers’ bodies, and what a dance world that acknowledges, embraces and celebrates having at least 25 percent of its population have a disability might look like.
The Discussing Disability in Dance book project is a multi-year volunteer effort. We appreciate any and all support as we move toward making this book project a reality. Please consider making a donation.
The Interviewees:
YULIA ARAKELYAN: “It’s Because of Our Unique Bodies That We Are the Amazing Dancers We Are”
MARC BREW: “I Claim It: I Am A Disabled Man”
SIDIKI CONDE: “Dance Is About Happiness”
CHARLENE CURTISS: “They’re Missing the Best Part”
KAYLA HAMILTON: “Do I Need To Name It?”
ANTOINE HUNTER: “I Move My Body and I Communicate”
MAIJA KARHUNEN: “I Can Make Space For Myself”
LAUREL LAWSON: “We’re Fighting for Artistic Acceptance”
KITTY LUNN: “I’m Waiting for the World to Catch Up with Me”
TOBY MACNUTT: “It’s Both And”
MARK TRAVIS RIVERA: “I’m Interested in the Nuances of Multi-Identity”
EVAN RUGGIERO: “I’m Just Another Hustling Artist”
HANNAH SAMPSON: “How We Respect and Treat Each Other”
BILL SHANNON: “Dance is Space, Time, Light, and The Human Condition”
ALICE SHEPPARD: “I Want to Build a Network of Legacy”
ELIZABETH WINKELAAR: “We’re Blowing Disability Out of the Water”
Image description: A figure drawn from the back is sitting in a wheelchair. One hand reaches down to the side of the chair where their hand connects with a blue pool. The other hand reaches up into the air with an open, extended palm. A red line runs from one hand through their back to the other. The figure’s face is lifted upward toward the extended palm.