So, episode 2 of Dancing On Wheels airs tonight, and I shall be tuning in. But not for the dancing, per se. I have mixed feelings about wheelchair dancing. Not other people dancing, you understand, but me dancing. Or not (I did cover the subject in one of my columns for The Times).
I must confess to having a bit of a problem with ballroom dancing altogether. Ballroom dancing is to dancing what Hangin' Tough by New Kids on The Block is to hip hop. I feel that dance works best as an emotional reaction to music, not buttock clenching displays of teeth, tits and glitter.
No, the reason I find dancing on wheels interesting is that it offers a great opportunity to watch how people react to wheelchairs and their users. Those people in the population who don't have regular contact with wheelchair users can end up weighed down with a whole heap of baggage -preconceptions, intimidation, or just mystification- and the programme offers the opportunity to unpack some of this stuff and get people a bit more used to wheelchairs.
You see, you can stare at the television. In fact, you're supposed to stare at the television. So maybe some people will watch and get a little more insight into what's involved in moving around the world in a wheelchair. As long as they don't expect us all to don the spandex and sequins...
I must confess to having a bit of a problem with ballroom dancing altogether. Ballroom dancing is to dancing what Hangin' Tough by New Kids on The Block is to hip hop. I feel that dance works best as an emotional reaction to music, not buttock clenching displays of teeth, tits and glitter.
No, the reason I find dancing on wheels interesting is that it offers a great opportunity to watch how people react to wheelchairs and their users. Those people in the population who don't have regular contact with wheelchair users can end up weighed down with a whole heap of baggage -preconceptions, intimidation, or just mystification- and the programme offers the opportunity to unpack some of this stuff and get people a bit more used to wheelchairs.
You see, you can stare at the television. In fact, you're supposed to stare at the television. So maybe some people will watch and get a little more insight into what's involved in moving around the world in a wheelchair. As long as they don't expect us all to don the spandex and sequins...
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