Dancing is good for overall health, for weight loss and for mental relaxation. Everyone loves to dance, including people who are blind, deaf, limbless, or confined to a wheelchair. Many groups have formed classes to teach these individuals ballroom, line dancing, jazz ballet, and whatever else they wish to learn. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The Malta Wheelchair Dancesport Association is one such group. Wheelchair dancing has been practiced in parts of the world since the 1970s, but only started in Malta in 1999. The group runs classes to teach dancing to people with disabilities using a very similar format to that used to teach non-disabled people. Classes are open to people who simply want to learn to dance and those who want to dance competitively. When it comes to competitive dances, there are two groups, Combi (one partner is in a wheelchair, the other is not) or Duo (both parties are in a wheelchair). They learn all standard ballroom dances and Latin American ballroom dances. For those interested only in social dancing, they offer online and solo dance classes. Wheelchair dancers use their upper bodies and arms to perform the same movements in the same way as non-disabled dancers. Also, it's no different from non-disabled dancers, some are good and some aren't, but all dance because they love it. Dance classes have the added benefit of teaching wheelchair users and their assistants better use of their chair, encouraging them to become more independent. The Gallaudet Dance Company is made up of approximately 15 students, all of whom are deaf or hard of hearing. Gallaudet is the world's only accredited liberal arts university for the hearing impaired. Dancers rely on many things using their vision and sign language to communicate. For years, hearing people have adhered to the theory that deaf people “hear” by feeling vibrations through the ground. While this might work when you're standing still on a vibration-conducting surface, it won't do much good when you're moving, jumping, or standing on a concrete floor. Gallaudet dancers practice for hours to develop an inner sense of the timing of each dance. This is accomplished in part by watching an instructor count the rhythm of the dance. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Tryout The instructor will give a sign for each step in much the same way, hearing dancers will receive a voice count from their instructor. The work of deaf and hard of hearing dance students had to remain “in time” with or without music. The most important elements of teaching these students to dance are visual counting, high-quality sound systems, and the use of sign language. Hundreds of viewers watched in fascination as Heather Mills competed for several weeks on Dancing With the Stars with a prosthetic leg. Not only was it hard to tell which leg it was most of the time, but she performed very difficult movements that the other dancers didn't even attempt.!