Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird, a 29-year-old wheelchair user with Friedreich's ataxia, attended an adaptive ballet class at the Royal Ballet School led by professional disabled dancer Kate Stanforth. The class, supported by Allied Mobility, sold out within minutes, with hundreds on the waiting list.
From Nervousness to Belonging
Upon entering the Royal Ballet School, Hoireabhaird felt like an impostor passing young dancers in the hallways. However, her nervousness melted away when she saw a dozen wheelchair-using dancers doing warm-up exercises in a circle. The class began with barre exercises instructed by Stanforth and Rachael Hunt, international artistic manager at the Royal Ballet School. Hoireabhaird noted her movements were not perfect, but her abilities were accepted, which meant everything.
Adaptive Ballet: A Cathartic Return to Dance
Having stopped dancing nearly two decades ago due to her diagnosis, Hoireabhaird found the class cathartic. Stanforth and Hunt repeatedly reminded participants to listen to their bodies, not push limits, and have fun. The group worked on a dance repertoire from the 19th-century romantic ballet Giselle. Hoireabhaird watched dancers cross the room with arms gracefully extended between synchronized wheelchair pushes, describing them as 'swimming through the air.'
Growing Demand for Inclusive Dance
Stanforth, who has ME and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, founded the Kate Stanforth Academy of Arts to provide accessible dance education. She said, 'Ballet was never simply a hobby to me. It has always been a passion.' The academy has a worldwide network of 500 disabled dancers. Stanforth noted, 'This community is not small or rare – it has simply not always been visible. As that visibility grows, so does the possibility of a more open and inclusive future for ballet, where no dancer has to question whether they belong.'
Impact and Future Hopes
After the class, Hoireabhaird felt a 'satisfied tiredness' and a renewed motivation to make adaptive ballet a hobby. She expressed that if such a class existed closer to home, she would be a regular attendee. The class's popularity, with participants from across the UK and even the Netherlands, underscores the demand for adaptive dance opportunities.
