Ability360 to Host Free Wheelchair Ballroom Dance Clinic

When Cheryl Angelelli broke her neck in a swimming accident at 14, she never imagined she would, years later, elegantly dance across a ballroom. In fact, Angelelli is not only performing as a wheelchair dancer; she is spearheading a movement across the country to create opportunities for other individuals in wheelchairs to learn to ballroom dance.

Angelelli and her professional dance partner, Tamerlan Gadirov, a top-ranked U.S. wheelchair ballroom dance couple, will lead a free 90-minute clinic along with professional dancers from Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Arizona, on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm at the Ability360 Sports and Fitness Center, 5031 E. Washington St. in Phoenix.

Space is limited. For information and to register, visit www.ability360.org.

Angelelli is the co-founder of Dance Mobility; a free wheelchair ballroom dance program that was created in 2015 at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where she and Gadirov train. The free program is supported by a grant from the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Foundation.

Angelelli has never let her wheelchair define her, or confine her. After her spinal cord injury, she returned to the pool where she became a 4-time Paralympic medalist in swimming and a seven-time world champion. After competing internationally for 16 years, she retired in 2014.

"When I retired from competitive swimming it left this huge void in my life," she said. "Nothing gave me the same excitement or adrenaline rush swimming did until I started wheelchair ballroom dancing."

Angelelli and Gadirov compete nationally and internationally, having won multiple dance titles in the U.S. Most recently the pair was featured on Inside Edition, after winning at Fred Astaire World Championships in Las Vegas.

"Cheryl and I are really excited to bring Dance Mobility to Ability360 and show people that there are no limitations in life or dance," says Gadirov.

"I know how much joy dancing has brought me, and I want to share it with other people with disabilities and help them experience the freedom of movement," says Angelelli. "I may not dance with my feet, but I dance with my heart."

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