Please find below a message from Sandra Fortuna, AmerDanceWheels ...

Hello, this note is from Sandra Fortuna. For the last three years I have put most of my free time and energy into wheelchair dancing. I have developed a beginner's program with a teaching manual with charts.

I have had the pleasure and enjoyed the rewards of meeting hundreds of disabled people and their loved ones through studio and institutional social dance programs for wheelchair dancers and their partners.

The mission of Amer DanceWheels Foundation is to bring the joys and benefits of partner dancing to the disabled world, specifically the physically disabled. My personal mission is to give visibility to wheelchair ballroom and Laitn dancing and to get more participants.

As the co-founder of Amer DanceWheels Foundation, Inc., I am taking it upon myself to promote wheelchair ballroom and Latin dancing by showing dancers how beautiful wheelchair dancing can be. I have seen some competition style wheelchair dancing, but none of it has impressed me much. Our dancers do a clearly American style of wheelchair dancing. When you watch it, you will see that it uses recognizable figures and takes into account the natural flow and grace of the wheelchair. The dancers are connected and the man leads, whether he is disabled or not.

There are many reasons for a professional dancer or dance teacher to consider becoming involved in this activity. Rather than have me list them, you could think of some of your own.

Please consider visiting with me if you are in Columbus this week for the Ohio Star Ball. I will arrive Wednesday. My cell phone is 856 287 2714. I don't know my judging schedule yet, but usually it is pretty light. I will have some dvd of American DanceWheels current performance team. All the wheelchair dancers are brand new to dancing, but their work is interesting and beautiful. I guarantee that it is not what you would expect.

Thank you in advance for your interest,
Sandra Fortuna
856 287 2714

I think that's awesome--I've seen the sports wheelchairs before and the really cool ones with designs and I think that it's great.