Meet the Students

Diane Kirlin Murphy

Diane grew up in Philadelphia during the “American Bandstand Era,” and had always stood on the sidelines watching everybody else dance, not being able to participate. “I had always been attracted to the athleticism of dance so the notion of actually being able to do it and participate with a standing, able-bodied partner was extremely appealing to me. I was definitely up for the challenge!” Having contracted polio when she was 4 years old, Diane went to school at the Widener School in Philadelphia through 12th grade. She was the city’s Poster Child for the March of Dimes. She currently belongs to the William Penn West Highland White Terrier Club, the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill as a Deacon and Hospitality Chairperson, and the PA Center for Adaptive Sports in the Hand Cycling Program. Diane is married, has one son and they share their home with their Westie, Chuck. She is retired from her career in Interior Design, specializing in Kitchen Design as an Independent Consultant and currently has a small dog-sitting business out of her home…for "Westies" only. Diane read an article in a small neighborhood publication about the ADF dance program being taught at the Widener School where she had attended. “The idea of dancing appealed to me because I was looking for something else to get involved with. I had recently given up horseback riding for recreation and competing in the discipline of Dressage which I had done for many years.” She has been with ADF for some time now. She loves the dancing, performing, and social scene!

Matthew Clark

Matthew is a graduate of 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.

Kenn Perry

Wheelchair ballroom dancing is just the latest of many vigorous pursuits taken on by self-described “adrenaline and excitement junkie” Kenn Perry. Also on that list are skiing, skydiving, SCUBA diving, basketball, tennis, swimming, track, rowing, rugby, handcycling, weightlifting, bow hunting, flying and karate in which he is an accomplished instructor with a third-degree black belt in American Kempo as well as a first-degree black belt in Small Circle Jujitsu. Kenn was also honored as one of Essence Magazine's "Do Right Men". As Kenn 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 Kenn with more than just another outlet to self-improvement, however. A wonderfully proud father of a beautiful daughter, contracting polio at the age of thee had caused Kenn to push to the back of his mind the notion of dancing with his daughter at her wedding. After joining ADF's performance team Kenn 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 led 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.”

Reesa & Dan Marchetti

The Marchettis live in Elk Twp., New Jersey, and have one daughter who is set to be wed this summer. Dan also has a daughter from a previous marriage. The pair first met in the 1970s when Dan and his motorcycle-riding friends entered a night club where Reesa and her rock band were playing. Known as an outrageous and original musician, Reesa did not become handicapped until 1998. As the two married and progressed through life, their careers also progressed. Dan recently retired from his longtime job as Facilities Manager for a public broadcasting station. Reesa expanded her title from Musician to Newspaper Writer/Editor to her current, Web Designer. The couple now operates a web hosting and design company, Sheer Web LLC. Reesa still plays several times a year in the Philadelphia area with Reesa and The Rooters. (The band’s recently released CD is heard on college stations such as WXPN.) Reesa credits wheelchair dancing with amplifying her stage performances, and with showing her and Dan they can still dance together — even though she can’t stand up for long and must use a power chair on the dance floor. Because of wheelchair dance instruction, she says, her posture has improved and she is more in control of the chair. “I used to feel a little embarrassed to be in a wheelchair,” Reesa says, “but now it’s my power tool. I use it creatively to dance and express myself. And when we go to a wedding now, Dan and I are the life of the party.”

Rob Hansberry

Rob had never danced before coming to ADF. He found ADF on a corporate volunteerism web site which let him to another student who encouraged Rob to participate. He has been dancing with ADF since November, 2007 and hopes to continue to learn and participate with both seated and standing partners. Rob grew up in Las Vegas where he gained an appreciation for theater as the lion trainer for the old MGM Grand "Jubilee" show. After college he spent twelve years in the United States Marine Corps attaining the rank of Major. His occupational specialties included tanks, military intelligence, weapons systems engineering, reconnaissance, combat diving and parachuting. Rob holds an MS in Applied Physics from the Naval Post-Graduate School and currently works for Bank of America as a Network Engineer. In his personal time, Rob likes to participate in adventure races, travel and cook. Rob has three daughters, one attending college in Colorado, and twins who also participate as standing partners.

Randy Herbein

Randy is involved in several types of dance. He studies and competes on ice, both as an ice dance soloist and in pairs. He also teaches advanced grade navigation and seamanship classes for the Northeast River Power Squadrons. Randy studies ballrom and Latin dancing in Delaware with The Academy of Social Dance (formerly, Crystal Dansport Center) and the University of Delaware's Ballroom Dance Team. Randy's involvement with American DanceWheels Foundation (ADF) started when the university gave a class in wheelchair ballroom and Latin dancing for its team of able-bodies dancers. He decided to take the class as a standing partner and has been hooked ever since. Randy is now an ADF teacher and performer.

Carrie Barber

Carrie have been performing in various venues since Junior High. She has done mostly back-up singing, in choruses for school and summer camp. Carrie has been wheelchair ballroom dancing, for three years. She has also acted, and done a little singing, in a group called AbleArts for the last three years. What she enjoys most about dancing is actually choreographing numbers. Carrie says that performing and making people happy with her talent is very rewarding.

Paul Thompson

Paul learned to dance in a wheelchair as a result of social Darwinism; if he hoped to have any chance of dating any of the cute Theater & Dance majors in college, he had to keep up with them on the dance floor. ADF gave Paul the opportunity to learn universal dances using mainstream steps and traditional dance techniques adapted for his wheelchair. The result is that he has a tremendous amount of fun and can lead any woman that he chooses to dance with. After college, he kept dancing when he helped found AbleArts, Delaware's only disabled theater company that incorporates both physically disabled and non-disabled performers onstage. He currently holds the position of Vice President, and has done everything from direct, produce, create and choreograph for a group he is very proud of. He also is a board member at Chapel Street Players, and has helped backstage or onstage with The Brandywiners, American Theatre Association, and Wilmington Drama League. Paul has his MBA from the University of Delaware and currently works for Bank of America as a Quality Consultant.