“Para-dance”, “wheelchair dance” … Even the names invoke an idea of charity, or something done to make the wheelchair user feel better about themself, or some sort of activity only for “cripples” — but it is much more than that. Simple activities like wheelchair dance are rarely offered, but these activities can have a profound effect on disabled people, and able-bodied people. Many able-bodied dancers don’t know of the existence of para dance sports, or if they do, it is something that someone else does.

I am Veronika Pedchenko. I was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I am an experienced combi para-dance “standing partner”, as well as a competitive international and American style standard and Latin ballroom dancer. I have won many different medals with the Ukraine National Para-dance team, competing in many different European countries. I became interested in ballroom dancing as a teen and later I was introduced to para-dance sports, discovering the absolute joy for myself and seeing joy in other dancers. Before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, I was a member of the Ukrainian national para dance team.

There are obstacles to wheelchair dancing. These can make participation difficult or seemingly impossible. There is the cost of the specialized custom chair, a lack of partners to dance with, a lack of coaches having the skills and experience to train, transportation to a practice location, and no decent floor to dance on. Wheelchair users are often forgotten or socially isolated when it comes to physical and mental well-being.

Yes, there are laws that dictate minimum access requirements, but there is no law that dictates humanity in the treatment of our fellow humans. Humanity can’t be enforced by law. Community involvement can’t be mandated. Wheelchair users, and disabled people in general, are often on the fringes of society. Simple activities such as wheelchair dancing can help wheelchair users be happy, healthy, and thrive. We tend to ignore minorities such as wheelchair users and people tend to focus on their own lives.

Wheelchair dancing, or similar activities, promote inclusiveness among participants. In “Wheelchair Dance: Exploring a Novel Approach to Enhance Wheelchair Skills,” the authors point out that the young dancers are isolated in their lives, but when given the opportunity to build a social circle of peers, they quickly start to flourish. Jade Berthiaume demonstrates that wheelchair dancers, or wheelchair users in general, often are “quite isolated” in society. Being in a wheelchair isolates these youth, however, given an opportunity they create new friendships quite quickly. I have seen firsthand how wheelchair dance makes everybody feel included, not forgotten, not overlooked.

I have seen how wheelchair dancing benefits everybody involved, especially wheelchair users — emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially. In discussing their own experiences from para dance, Natalia Kolesova states in an article titled “Wheelchair Dance-Social Perception of Dancer’s Ability Challenging Instrument” that: “para dancesport has become a crucial milestone. It has completely changed my life, creating an opportunity to embrace my disability… providing me with a sense of identity. It restored my self-esteem and respect for myself. It opened new horizons, offering opportunities to meet new people and discover the world around me.” Natalia’s comments show just how para dance sport can have a positive effect on a wheelchair user. When I dance, either with another able-bodied dancer or a wheelchair dancer, my mood is brightened, my energy rises and I also feel a sense of identity and higher self-esteem, exactly like Natalia’s observations.

The obstacles I mentioned earlier don’t need to be obstacles to the casual para-dancer. Standard wheelchairs can be used for casual dance. Partners are not needed as solo dance is a big part of the ballroom dance culture. Coaches don’t need special skills to start. Many locations, including Utah Valley University (UVU) and Brigham Young University (BYU), have perfect spaces for wheelchair dancing. There are various public and private transportation methods to get to these locations, including riding with a new friend to the dance studio. For the casual dancer, these obstacles get smaller or start to disappear altogether.

What is the solution? We can create informal University based wheelchair dance groups. Both UVU and BYU, as well as many other schools, have strong ballroom dance programs. We can improve the lives of wheelchair, and able-bodied dancers, by connecting these energetic dance groups with wheelchair users. We normalize different abilities in social spaces. We make connections between people, valuable to every human. We spread understanding and acceptance through dance. The benefits that dance provides people in their lives can also be had by wheelchair users.

Ferez and other authors argued in their article, “Inclusion through sport: A critical view on Paralympic legacy from a historical perspective” that Paralympics is intended to include all disability types, it often selectively benefits athletes whose impairments align with expectations. In para-dance sport, this suggests that many wheelchair users can be under-served or overlooked within para-dance. Ferez criticizes the Paralympic movement for excluding people it is meant to include. They failed to look at all para sports activities. From my own observations, there is a wide range of disabilities in para-dance, from minor paralysis to almost full-body paralysis dancers. Anyone can dance.

Why does any of this matter? My dancing abilities and technique improved. My mood, strength, and stamina improved. I made strong connections with the different dancers that I worked with. I stopped seeing disabled people as someone to pity and started seeing them as people with different abilities, seeing the strength that they have inside. I want to improve my life and to improve the lives of people around me, while doing something that I enjoy.

I have a challenge for you: Dance.

Yes, you already dance, but start a para-dance night. Can’t find a para-dance group? Create one! Lead or dance as a partner in a para-dance group. Get together with some of your friends and invite people who are interested in learning how to dance in their wheelchairs. Invite people who aren’t interested! Offer accessible classes. Include and welcome outsiders to watch, and offer a time and place for them to join in. Only through experience will anyone understand how much enjoyment they can have.

Para-dance is about joy and connection. Para-dance is another form of dance, and dance is joy, translated to movement. When the body hears music it needs to move to the rhythm. As a dancer, we experiment with movement on our feet. Why not experiment with movement in other possible ways? Dance not only for yourself, but dance to spread joy with everybody.

Veronika Pedchenko is currently a student at UVU.