Meet some of our students...
Matt Clark
Matt is a student at Temple University in Philadelphia. He works part-time and also serves as a youth minister, which is no surprise to anyone who has spoken to him - his energy, delight in life, and interest in others are immediately evident. He has always been extremely athletic and musical, playing several instruments, and so it seemed natural for him to try wheelchair dancing after encountering Ray Leight and Melinda Kremer at a performance. It didn’t take long before he was hooked on dancing, which has become one of the most important activities in his life. In addition to dancing for the sheer pleasure of it, Matt has become an invaluable member of the performance and competitive dance team at American DanceWheels.
Ken Perry
Wheelchair ballroom dancing is just the latest of many vigorous pursuits taken on by self-described “adrenaline and excitement junkie” Ken Perry. Also on that list are skiing, skydiving, SCUBA diving, basketball, tennis, swimming, track, rowing, rugby, handcycling, weightlifting, bow hunting, and karate, in which he is an accomplished instructor with a third-degree black belt in American Kinto as well as a first-degree black belt in Small Circle Jujitsu. As Ken will readily tell you, he “just enjoys the challenge of doing things that a lot of people think can’t, or shouldn’t, be done.” Dancing with ADF “leads to a certain level of sophistication that has not been provided for people with disabilities before. There's something elegant in the way you move as it gives the chair a certain level of respectability; it's no longer an apparatus but becomes part of the human body.” American DanceWheels provides Ken with more than just another outlet to self-improvement, however. A wonderfully proud father of a beautiful eleven year-old girl, contracting polio at the age of thee had caused Ken to push to the back of his mind the notion of dancing with his daughter at her wedding. After joining ADF's performance team Ken can say with a smile, “Now I can clearly see and understand how to do it – and so does she.”
Morgan Heino
“I've always danced so ADF is just another way to get into dancing,” Morgan Heino explains. While she studied both ballet and Irish step growing up things like adolescence and college lead her to take a sabbatical from continued instruction until recently. Morgan left the suburbs of southern New Jersey for the snowy shores of Lake Erie to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. Caring for others is hardwired into her lovable character so while Morgan looks to get into the counseling field she is keeping herself busy working with local educational and political organizations. In addition to helping others the physical discipline involved with dancing and American DanceWheels specifically has also allowed her to help herself. While Morgan has had cerebral palsy since she was born it wasn't until she underwent a misguided medical procedure at the age of seventeen that she began using a wheelchair to get around. “I hadn't danced since before my surgery so dancing with ADF is something that gives me better understanding of my body,” she extols. The therapeutic value of ballroom dancing is appealing but it's the creativity involved that really excites Morgan. “It's just fun, hugely creative, and very satisfying. After seeing what some of the more experienced dancers can do it makes me all the more eager to find out what I can do and what I can bring to the group. There's so much we've yet to tap into.”
George and Leona Gutherman
George and Leona, a married couple from Levittown, Pa., clearly love to dance! Leona is a wheelchair dancer. George is her husband and able-bodied partner. They have been students of the American DanceWheels Syllabus for a year and a half, and both feel that the ADF experience has been tremendous fun and a great way to meet some really fantastic people. "We have both enjoyed doing it", Leona explains, "George and I wanted to learn to dance for social events and parties." But, their learning didn't end there however, as Leona explains, "We then stayed to learn more dances, and now we are performers on the ADF Formation Team." George speaks highly of the experience and elaborates, "People in wheelchairs may say, 'I can't dance', but in reality, yes they can! It opens new doors and begins new chapters for people through music."
Duane Crockett
Duane started wheelchair dancing three years ago. He met Ray Leight and Melinda Kremer when they were teaching wheelchair dancing at the Magee Rehab Center where Duane was recuperating from a serious injury which left him unable to walk. He took to it right away, finding it lots of fun and therapeutic as well. After a one year break when he moved down to Florida to participate in several research studies for the Miami Project, which funds research into a cure for paralysis, Duane returned to New Jersey - and dancing. Now he cannot imagine his life without it. “I feel free when I dance,” he says. “I love it. I just did it for fun when I started out, but now I am getting into competitive dancing.” One of his goals is to show people that “life is not over just because you’re in a wheelchair.” His enthusiasm and positive attitude are evident in his dance performances with his partner, Aubree Marchione.
Laura Heim
Perpetually active Laura Heim first began to dance with the desire to strengthen her performance in other areas. She plays water polo at Widener University, where she is studying communications and biology. Out of the pool Laura enjoys running, tennis, softball, figure skating, and having a good time. After following the lead of her skating teammates and signing up for dance classes at Universal Dance Center last year she has seen significant improvement, even in unexpected areas like her ability to concentrate at school. As busy as she is Laura started with American DanceWheels almost by accident. When she learned that the studio offered wheelchair dance classes she told a friend from church who uses a wheelchair and the two of them sat in on an ADF performance team rehearsal. Her friend “was so happy and said, 'We have to start this immediately!'” With no intention of participating Laura tagged along to the Wheel One Beginner class, and “I noticed how much more coordination was involved and it incorporated more discipline.” Dancing in general has changed her outlook on life. “ADF has changed my thinking in ways that I can't even describe but I know it has and I'm glad that it's happened.” She continues to dance in ADF's social classes even though her friend's involvement has waned. “For me it's the smaller accomplishments. It's awesome, even if it's just nailing one turn, knowing that I can go home and practice and get it even better the next time.”
Eric Laufenberg
To anyone involved in disability issues like Eric Laufenberg American DanceWheels is seen as something unique. “The group is integrated where it's not all people with disabilities. That's really a great thing and the integration is what I really like about ADF.” While pursuing a degree in business administration at Rider College, Eric formed a student advocacy group called the Barrier Busters. Working with school administration the Busters were hawks for identifying access violations on campus and then coming up with solutions. Eric continued the problem solving after graduation when Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey employed him in a host of programs, including their ADA Technical Assistance Center and the Advocacy Department. Eric says that, “I always liked dancing and enjoyed music. Most of the time I would go out on the dance floor, sit in one spot, and just move my body.” When a colleague of his at the New Jersey State Medicaid Office suggested Eric look at ADF's website it looked interesting and he joined in no time at all. Eager to add some progression to his catalog of moves, “I wanted to learn how to use my whole wheelchair to dance.” After just over a year of lessons Eric has mastered moving in rhythm, all the more impressive as he's worked to compensate for the slight delay between his powered wheelchair and the control stick. When he first came to the group he brought along two goals: to learn to dance and to get a girlfriend. With a pleasantly smooth personality that compliments his graceful handling on the floor it's no surprise he's accomplished both ambitions with aplomb.
Allison Michaud
Allison Michaud came to ADF this fall as part of a college course at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. As a third year student in USP’s doctorate of physical therapy program she was asked to become actively involved with the disability community through fieldwork. Allie has danced ballet for seventeen years and also dabbled in jazz and tap so she was a perfect fit for American DanceWheels. Since joining both the social dancing classes and performance team in September the whole group has fallen for Allie’s infectiously warm personality and endearing earnestness to learn the art of dancing as a couple. “By doing partner dancing I’ve learned a lot about teamwork. Obviously dancing in a ballet troupe requires a lot of coordination but dancing with a partner involves working and listening to another person as a team.” The one-on-one partnership at the heart of every ADF dance opened her up to people with disabilities in a way that no class lecture ever could. “Before getting involved the only exposure to anyone in a wheelchair I’d ever had was the people at my grandmother’s nursing home and that left me with a very warped view. By working and dancing with people my own age I built great friendships as I found out that we shared so much common ground. I learned what it’s like to have a disability, that it’s not always a bad thing.” Though her class requirement has come to an end, Allie looks forward to continue dancing with her friends at ADF.