Dance opportunities-MPC, Monterey Sports Center

Dancing is a great activity for someone in a wheelchair. You do not need a big team, the rules are pretty flexible, and there is so many different styles of dance out there that people can try. The hardest part is to find an able bodied partner who is a really good but flexible dancer.

 In Europe, wheelchair ballroom and latin dance dancing (wheelchair dancesport)  is very popular.

 Here's is an example of a  Wheelchair Latin dance called the Jive performed by a couple that held the first place title in Wheelchair Latin Dance for at least 8 years!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCsdgCNFhjg.

One of the best wheelchair dancesport couples in the world

I have always been a competitor and am looking for opporunities to compete in events but the great thing about dance is that it can be done competitively as well as recreationally.

In Monterey, a great place to try dancing is again MPC. MPC offers many dance classes; anything from ballet and jazz to ballroom and salsa. They are designed for an able bodied dancer but the teachers are great and very welcoming when it comes to accomodating for a wheelchair user who has the desire to just dance (been there, done that! and boy did I get a good workout!).  It took me a while sometimes, to "adapt" some movements to "wheelchair language" but once I got it down, the class was a lot of fun for me and best of all wasy a good challenge.  The dance program at MPC almost got cut last year but it was saved and I hope it stays because the classes were a lot of fun and I would recommend anyone with a disability to take a class there. The best advice I can give in starting that experience is to sign up early and be sure to get in with the eagerness to dance! The teachers will feed off your passion and I have even had the opportunity to work one on one with some teachers to work on some steps!

Another possibility is to try something called Zumba. In Monterey, there is a lot of places offering Zumba classes. My favorite is Sports Center because I have a friend who teaches there and has had some experience with dancing with me so it makes it easier and more comfortable for me to just go for it and dance!

Also, dancers with disabilities who are interested in modern dance can participate in the workshops called "Dance Intensive"  organized every summer by Axis Dance in Oakland.(www.axisdance.org)

Axis Dance show at the Northern 

 California Wheelchair Sports Camp