Wheelchair waltz
You may thinkthat you need legs, eyes and ears in order to dance, but with a sense of rhythmand a great passion for dance disabled people can dance too, and even teachothers. How can you count steps without seeing your dance partners, how manywheels do you need for a tango, and what would Michael Jackson think of"moon walk" without legs?
Elyashiv Raichner, Maariv weekend edition, 5.4.13
The dancers inWashington Hills Education Centre, dancing their way to receiving a certificateof qualified dance instructors, were moving to the sound of loud applause. Thevolume of applause was exceptionally strong when the grandaunts were inwheelchairs. That happened more than once: about half of the graduates of thequalification course for dance instructors for people with special needs thatended about a fortnight ago apply themselves to that definition. Rafi theamputee, Yehudit who has Polio, heavy sighted Savion: they are all danceinstructors now.
This dance,disabled dance, is a wonder one must behold in one's own eyes. The attendees ofthis graduation ceremony, which comprised of dances performed by the course'sgraduates and established disabled dance companies, were able to see howdisabled dancers can spread their wings too. The first dance of the evening wasto the sound of the Israeli song "happy and free", and the excitedfaces of the dancers in wheelchairs showed that even with a physical disabilityone can be happy.
One of thehappy women in the auditorium was Aliza Habusha, 32, who was born with cerebralpalsy and sits in a wheelchair. Habusha, who has also eyesight problems, foundher love for dance nine years ago, when her father asked her while walking downthe street what she dreamt of doing. Habusha, who had by then gained a BA ineducation, answered that dance is something she can only imagine, and misses alot. At home, when her father opened the newspaper, he found to his surprise anadvertisement for a folk dancing class for disabled dancers in Herzeliya. Thefather and daughter went to take a look at that class but Aliza did not likethe atmosphere. Shortly after this she tried again, this time in an establishedclass for wheelchair dancing in Rishon leZion. That is where there was a twistin the plot. "The instructor Galit Cohen-Hayim through me into the deepend and told me to join the circle of dancers. I am a brave woman so I did asshe said and from that moment onwards I never left".
The dance indisabled dancing take place in pairs; one person sits in a wheelchair and oneperson accompanies them while standing. "At first I danced with mydad", says Habusha, "and later with everyone who wanted to dance. Forfour and a half years I did not have a dance partner. Because of the issueswith finding a permanent partner one of the participants in the class left andI thought of leaving too. I spoke to Galit (the instructor) and she said"you are staying here. Wait a little bit more, and in the end your partnerwill come".
Habusha stayedon and continued to dance with various partners. At some point there wereauditions for the "Rishon Wheels" dance company, which has impressiveaccomplishments in Israel and abroad. "Before the auditions I came up toOrly Baor, the artistic director of the company, and I told her that I may notbe right for the company now but I still would like to see what she has to say.Orly agreed and promised to invite me as a guest artist for the first show ofthe new ensemble". In this show, which took place in the main auditoriumin Rishon Lezion, Habusha danced with a professional dancer. In the audiencethere was a non- disabled dancer who was looking for a disabled dance partner."After the dance", Habusha says, "he came up to me and offeredto be my dance partner, and since then, for the past seven years, we dancetogether".
Habusha dancedwith her dance partner not only in the Rishon Lezion class but also in otherclasses in Israel, and fell in love with this discipline. At some point herdance partner decided to enroll in a qualification course for instructors fordisabled dance. "My friends said, if your partner had enrolled andqualified, why won't you do the same?" and I said that it is not forme", says Habusha. "One day Orly Baor invited me to enroll in thecourse. I said no at first but then decided to go for it and haven't regrettedit since. This course has enabled me to advance in an extraordinary way".
One of the mostprominent dancers in the graduation ceremony was Rafi Avital, who stole theshow dancing "Michael Jackson style" with a young female officer. Avital,68, who has Multiple Sclerosis, has been an amputee for the past 17 years.Before his legs were amputated he worked as a quality controller in metalfactories. Since he has become disabled he spends his time writing poetry,collecting stamps, writing online, solving cryptic crossword puzzles andvisiting his family.
Avital who is adivorced father of two and has one grandchild, got acquainted with dance viahis activity in the disabled rehabilitation centre in Rishon leZion. "I ama very energetic person, and the director of the rehabilitation centre and Iboth noticed this fact. One day, ten years ago, she came up to me and offeredthat I go and watch disabled dance. I could not comprehend how a disabledperson could dance, but I decided to watch it. I came, saw and fell in love-and haven't stopped dancing since".
Avital definesdance as the love of his life. He was in the "Rishon Wheels" dancecompany for four years and especially loves solo dances in unique styles suchas flamenco or Michael Jackson. "Without dance I would sit at home, feelsorry for myself, expect pity, and deteriorate physically and mentally. Danceraises me up, and thanks to it I discover all my hidden abilities. I am asporty person, and that is part of my talents. I didn't expect to reach thislevel. Today I can't think of myself without dance, it is in my veins, I can'tlet go. Through dance I get to know special people and have the good company ofthe "standing" dancers".
Four months agoAvital joined the disabled dance instructors' course. Every week he came forfour hours of intensive training. "This course has brought my knowledgeand abilities to new heights. At first I had a permanent dance partner but dueto health reasons she left. I had various partners and found out that wasactually a good thing; when you're too used to one partner, if anything happensto them, you could be at a dead end".
Now, when hehas an instructor qualification, Avital is dreaming of the next stage. "IfI have a permanent dance partner I hope I can start a class myself. When Idance in a wheelchair I can't control everything around me, as I can't see theentire circle of dancers. I can't teach the non- disabled dancers as theirdance steps are more complex. I could be greatly helped by a non disabled"standing" partner who can help me make better use of myknowledge".
The"mother" of disabled dance classes and companies and director of the instructors'course is Orly Baor, dancer and folk dancing instructor, who has a diploma inPE and in dance therapy. 59 year old Baor got acquainted to this discipline 27years ago and made it her life's project. One evening she saw disabled peoplemoving to rhythmic music on TV and got excited by the prospects of this idea.As a therapist she understood the power of dance as a practice that is part ofa rehabilitation process, and decided to further this discipline. With thisidea she came up to Yosef Lutenberg who was then the chairmen of the Israeli DefenseForces disabled organization. Lutenberg was skeptical, so she says. He found ithard to believe that disabled people would take part in this activity, whichrequired the participation of a non disabled person.
Lutenbergwasn't the only one who did not see the potential of this idea, but Baorinsisted, and with great effort managed to get together a group of disableddancers and non- disabled dancers. She started her own method forrehabilitation through dance, which comprised of creating choreography tailoredfor wheelchair dance. This has been developed through she started and is now afully fleshed technique.
The firstcompany which she founded in the 1980s was "hora wheels", a dancecompany which performed in Israel and abroad. The company's performance in theKarmiel Dance Festival brought an audience of tens of thousands to their feet,and it was hard to stop the applause. In time Baor founded also a ballroomdance team of disabled dancers, and its dancers represented Israel ininternational competitions in Europe and brought some medals too.
In 2002 Baorinitiated the founding of a disabled dance instruction centre in Rishon leZion,and a year later she founded the "Rishon Wheels" dance company withShimon Keinan, the director of Ilan (disabled organization). Rishon Wheels hasbecome the biggest disabled dance company in the world. Eight years ago, afterstarting various classes and companies, Baor decided it was time to spread hertechnique. "The idea was to keep the language uniform". She says."I wanted the same dances and techniques to be taught around the country,so that when one group dancing in Be'er Sheva meets another from Faifa theywill have the same language and the same dances to share".
The firstcourse for instructors for disabled dance was taught as part of the SeminarKibbuzim College. The course's alumni started new dance classes around the country,more disabled people joined the circles of dancers, and Baor startedcontemplating the next challenge. "The achievements made by disabledpeople in dance and their way to get integrated into all areas of life made methink that there is no reason why the disabled themselves can't take part inthe next course. Dance comes from their soul and body, and who can teach thisdiscipline better than them- if they only have the tools for instructing theirdiscipline properly".
Three yearsago, during a ceremony in Rishon leZion, Baor announced that she intended tointegrate disabled people in her instructors' course. The Rishon leZion mayorand Keinan promised to get scholarships for disabled people who would enroll inthe course. The idea came together in the course of three years. Yaki Saada,the director of the Washington Hills Education Centre, and Sheila Katz, thedirector of professional qualification department decided to join Baor in thischallenge: last year saw the first class of the qualification course fordisabled dance graduate. The course is funded by the National Insurance. "Thepeople from National Insurance", says Baor, "were impressed by theidea and saw the potential of rehabilitation through dance, in professionalqualifications for disabled people, something that can help them get morefinancial security and independence. The National Insurance enabled us openinga large course with 27 students, half of which disabled dancersthemselves".
Baor says thatmany of the disabled participants found the course difficult. "There werelarge differences between the participants at the beginning of the course,although most of them had some experience, because each one of them came from adifferent world. The differences disappeared thanks to the dedication of allparticipants and mutual help, as well as the serious attitude they showedtowards their studies. At first some people were frustrated and unconfident ofthemselves and their ability to remember steps and acquire concepts. This is aforeign language, and the "standing up" dancers find it hard tounderstand as well. At some point there was fatigue in the air but I decided noone would leave and we would do everything to get to the end of the course. Theexperienced instructors came to the rescue and my guys started arriving threehours early to practice before the course began. This helped them getimpressive results in their exams-a 90point average, very rare in all similarcourses. I was very surprised at the results myself".
Can thedisabled instructors teach "standing" non- disabled dancers?
"Mostdances are for couples and they always have a "sitting" dancer and a"standing" dancer. That is why a standing up and sitting down danceralways learn the dance together. The course's graduates learnt both parts-sitting down and standing up- but the instruction requires a team of two. Asthe sitting dancer can never dance clone, they cannot teach without a standingdancer, but the standing dancer does not have to be an instructor. The sittingdancer can be aided by a non-qualified dancer. I have no doubt that the toolsacquire by the sitting dancers will help them understand the language of thestanding dancers better. This is a pointthat will develop in time. But we are still at the beginning of the road".
Ora Haikis isone of the "standing" dancers who has graduated from the last course.She lives in Mazkeret Batia. She teaches PE in a school in Rehovot and also folkdancing. She enrolled in the course following a recommendation from a friend."The world of disabled dance is foreign to me, and I could not believe itwould fascinate me as much as it does. I didn't know there were danceschoreographed especially for disabled dancers, and I didn't imagine I could everlearn this skill. This is an entire field of knowledge. You first learn the"standing" dancers' steps, then how the "sitting" dancersmove, advance and turn. As opposed to folk dancing, in which you only learn oneset of steps, here you learn two".
Is there nofeeling of discomfort, when you move freely next to a disabled dancer who doesnot have the same freedom as you?
"You don't think about it when you dancewith them. From the very first moment you get used to the fact that they aresitting down and we are standing up, and we all have different roles. We havemore possibilities and that's why those who adjust the dances so that they fitdisabled dancers are so vital in this process. They think about how the sittingdancers can be as active as us, how they can advance without us treading onthem and them not treading on our feet. In the end of the day, sitting dancersdon't just sit and roll forward on their wheelchairs. They play a significantpart in every move we make".
The course wasthe first proper introduction Haikis had with disabled people. "Meeting them opened my eyes to a worldI didn't know. I was mesmerized. I discovered those amazing people who havelots of joy and are fun to dance with. I can say now you get much more fromthis kind of dance than you give".
The 90 hourlong course requires that the students have practical experience("pupilage"). Haikis chose to do hers in Rani's Wheels, a disableddance class in Nes ziona, where she was matched with a sitting dancer who isnow her permanent dance partner. Now the pupilage is over she dances there onceweekly with her sitting partner. Her enthusiasm is contagious- her husbandplans to enroll in the next instructors' qualification course.
For YehuditPinhas, dance was the way to acknowledge her disability. She was born in the1950s and was struck by Polio when she was a year old. Despite this fact, shefunctioned fully and never felt like a misfit. At the end of a normaleducational course she worked as an instructor in craft classes and encounteredthe world of social work and welfare through working with girls from difficultbackgrounds. About a decade ago her situation deteriorated and she startedusing crutches and various devices for walking. "Even when my situation was moresevere", she says, "I repressed my disability and refused to seemyself as a disabled person. About nine years ago friends suggested that I comeand see a dance performance of the Rani dance class for disabled people. I loved it and said to a friend "howextraordinary that people can dance on wheelchairs". I didn't see myselfpart of this, but that friend said, "excuse me, are you notdisabled?" only that moment I realized I was part of this".
Pinhas startedattending the classes in Nes Ziona, and says she enjoyed a warm and jollyatmosphere. "I was sat on a wheelchair in the circle and since then Idance and never give up. Participating in this class was my way to recognize mydisability. It was like psychological therapy for me. Only there I started realizing that there is adisability and difficulty, but I can move on, enjoy life, and continuedancing".
At some pointOrly Baor came to that class to recruit people for her instructors' course.Pinhas decided to join. "This course opened many channels for me. It mademe open up and gave me confidence and made me feel that I could fly. Suddenly Ifound myself in the midst of a circle, teaching and explaining to those aroundme. It gave me a lot and taught me a lot about dance and music. You don't justdance- you deconstruct the dance and understand the movements and counts, thatis just extraordinary.
The mostsignificant experience for me was when the instructor Avi Perez and his wifecame to our course and taught a "standing" dance. The amazing thingwas that Orly Baor managed at that moment to adjust the dance so that thesitting dancers could execute it too".
One of the mostextraordinary stories is Savion David's story- he is thirty, lives in Nesher,and can only see with one eye to the distance of two meters. Seven years ago hestarted dancing in a dance class for blind people in Jerusalem, and then inclasses in Haifa and Rishon leZion. Then he danced as the only visuallyimpaired dancer in a dance class. About six months ago Orly Baor invited him toenroll in her course. "After a two hour conversation", says David,"we said I'd make up my mind. Two weeks later I said yes".
Thedifficulties that David was facing were different than those of his friends inwheelchairs. "I had to compensate for my visual disability in otherways" he says. "My dancing relies on memory. I can memorize a dance,close my eyes and dance it even without music".
One challengethat David had to face was an eye surgery he underwent during the course. In the last weeks of the course he sufferedfrom blurred vision for short distances too, something he usually doesn'tsuffer from. For the final exam, in front of six external examiners, he arrivedwith blurred eyesight- but passed it with a distinction. Now he's dreaming ofstarting a dance class for visually impaired dancers that he would teach.
"Savion'simpressive story gives us proportions in life", says Baor. "This guycame with determination once a week from Nesher (in the north of Israel) toWashington Hills (in its south) in buses and trains. He kept at it, danced andnever gave up, and during the course he got the equipment and computer programsthat enable him to start his own class".
Baor believesthe graduates of her course can fulfill their skills and teach others. "Wealready have one graduate (sitting dancer) who teaches disabled children inRishon leZion and Hod Hasharon. It is a process that has only just begun but Ihave no doubt it will grow stronger".
Baor testifiesthat she never stops thinking of new ideas to push disabled dance forward."This is the only thing that occupies me. My mind always seeks newinventions. I want to get to every disabled person sitting at home, of everyage and every degree of disability, who hasn't yet encountered the world ofdisabled dance. I would like for every disabled person to hear about thispossibility, and that they would have a place to dance not far from where theylive".
