‘Like swimming in space’: my fun part in Giselle with the Royal Ballet’s wheelchair dancers | Ballet

From ballroom to hip-hop, I tried different dance classes growing up, but nothing lasted long. My body never got used to any music, I quickly got tired of any physical activity, and I was convinced that I wasn’t meant for exercise.

My hypothesis was confirmed at the age of 13 – and I was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), which is a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease that causes nerve damage, muscle weakness and loss of movement. Now, at the age of 29, I use a wheelchair and most of the things I used to do were not going well. I still love to dance but it’s too rare for me to get the chance.

After reading a comment in the Guardian three years ago Kate StanfordA professional wheelchair dancer, I followed her work on social media with delight and admiration. Having started dancing at the age of two and entering professional training at the age of eight, Stanforth continued to dance for a short time after becoming unhappy as a teenager. As his health needs increased, he was eventually forced to drop out of school. He was diagnosed with ME, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, a chronic neurological disease that affects the body’s ability to produce and use energy, and later with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s collagen.

With his love of ballet and his life of disability and chronic illness, Stanley established a theater group Kate Stanford Academy of Artsa multi-award winning arts organization dedicated to simple dance education. “Ballet was never a hobby for me,” Stanley said. Even when I started getting sick at the age of 14, that passion never went away.

When I read that she was hosting a flexible ballet class sponsored by Allied Mobility and in collaboration with Royal Ballet SchoolI jumped at the chance to attend – even if it meant traveling from Dublin to London. When I entered the Royal Ballet School, I was very nervous. I felt like an impostor as I passed a group of little girls in the hallway. I wondered if he doubted my existence.

Any fear I felt suddenly melted away when I entered the dance floor and saw twelve wheelchair-bound dancers stretched out in a circle, doing exercises. The class began with a barre workout, led by Stanforth and Rachael Hunt, global talent manager at the Royal Ballet School. My movements weren’t perfect, and I was more stubborn than other dancers, but I felt that it didn’t matter. My talent was recognized, and that meant everything to me.

Having given up dancing almost twenty years ago, it was amazing to be able to do what I love so much without all the restrictions. Stanforth and Hunt made sure to remind us again and again to listen to our bodies, not to push our limits and, above all, to have fun.

We went to work on a dance from the ballet Giselle, a production I admit I have never seen on stage (yet). Giselle is a classic, romantic ballet from the 19th century, and one of the most important shows, like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, that you think of when you think of dance.

I watched the dancers with what I can only describe as fear. They tried to cross the room one by one with their arms outstretched gracefully, in between pushing their wheelchairs. As he passed, he felt as if he were swimming in the air. It was really beautiful. It seemed that ballet was doing itself a disservice by not opening up and allowing these dancers to participate in their performances.

When the class ended, I felt tired, but it was a complete tiredness, unlike the frustrated tiredness I often feel when trying to do a job that my body can’t handle. Stanforth told us he was overwhelmed by the popularity of the class, with morning and afternoon sessions selling out in minutes, and hundreds remaining on the waiting list. I wasn’t the only one who went to the class – there were dancers from all over the UK, and one came from the Netherlands.

“This group is not small or rare – it’s not always seen,” said Mr Stanforth, referring to the school’s international group of 500 disabled dancers. Obviously, the interest in flexible dance classes and workshops is there. “The more these forms grow, the more opportunities there are for an open and inclusive future for ballet, where no dancer doubts whether they belong.”

Now it seems clear that there is a place for people with disabilities to dance. The industry needs more people like Stanforth to work for the dance world. After the class, I had a new motivation to turn my dancing skills into something fun. If a class like this were closer to home, I would attend regularly.

For more information on ballet classes at the Royal Ballet School and the Kate Stanforth Academy of Arts, Click here