Founded in 1980 by wheelchair user Mary Verdi-Fletcher, Dancing Wheels is a nationally recognized physically-integrated dance company that unites performers with and without disabilities. The company uses dance to break down barriers, demonstrating that life imitates art and art imitates life — a reflection of a world filled with diverse individuals, some with disabilities both seen and unseen, yet all possessing strengths that transcend conventional expectations and social constructs.

Through its performances and community programs, Dancing Wheels shows that the stage is not just a place for entertainment, but a mirror of the human experience — highlighting resilience, creativity and the extraordinary possibilities that arise when inclusivity guides artistic expression.

Cheryl Pompeo, director of the Oglebay Institute School of Dance, first saw Verdi-Fletcher on “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” dancing with the Joffrey Ballet.

“I was blown away,” she said. “What they do is beautiful, not just with the message, but with the movement.”

Photo by Stephanie Elverd Lil Craig “Lil Craig of 2Reel” Sams III (right) and Sara Lawrence-Sucato guide students through a physically integrated dance workshop at Easterseals through a partnership with Oglebay Institute School of Dance and Dancing Wheels Dance Company.

That led her to reach out to Verdi-Fletcher and that connection led to 10 years of workshops between the company and the Oglebay Institute School of Dance.

Monday’s workshop, which was led by Dancing Wheels Director of Education Sara Lawrence-Sucato and Lil Craig “Lil Craig of 2Reel” Sams III, a sit-down dancer in his 10th year with the company, included demonstrations of the wheelchairs often used in performances and guided a class that showed how traditional dance and seated movement can meld into expressive works of art. The students learn firsthand how choreographers translate movement between standing and seated dancers.

Craig discovered Dancing Wheels after searching for opportunities to combine his love of performance with dance. Already active as a singer and performer, he had experience on stage but little chance to explore dance in a way that accommodated his abilities. When he saw a performance by Dancing Wheels, he was captivated by the integration of standing and seated dancers and knew he had found a space where he could fully participate and grow as an artist.

“When I started out to be an entertainer I didn’t have the opportunity to be able to do dance. I didn’t know anybody who knew how to translate,” Sams said. “At the end of the day, I think the point is to give people an opportunity and that there is an option for them. A lot of people don’t know that option exists, so we are here to spread our mission that we are an inclusive dance company that encourages others to embody and share their special gifts.”

Lawrence-Sucato also highlighted the workshop’s long-standing relationship with Oglebay.

Photo by Stephanie Elverd Students follow the lead of Dancing Wheels instructors, learning how seated and traditional dance can merge into expressive movement during a physically integrated dance workshop at Easterseals through a partnership with Oglebay Institute School of Dance.

“Oglebay Institute and especially its School of Dance has invited Dancing Wheels Company to come and do an annual workshop for more than 10 years,” she said. “Craig and I have been teaching together for about four years now. We come every year around this time to a physically-integrated dance workshop…bringing together people of all different body types in dance to train together and perform together.”

The addition of Easterseals in that relationship just made sense.

“This is the second year they have invited Easterseals to do the workshop rather than the school, and we believe this expands opportunities for people of all abilities,” Sara Lawrence-Sucato continued. “People with more disabilities who may not know that there are opportunities for them to train in dance.”

For many students, the workshop was an eye-opening experience. Watching instructors and professional dancers like Sams navigate movement in wheelchairs challenged preconceived notions about ability and performance. The class emphasized that expression, creativity and artistry do not require traditional movement.

The impact of the workshop is made possible in part through community support, with donors helping bring inclusive arts programming to local students. Those involved say the value of that support goes far beyond the dance studio, shaping how young people view ability, opportunity and creative expression.

“There are so many challenges in life, particularly for people dealing with disabilities, that it’s usually been a matter of exclusion then inclusion…You never know when you expose a child to this type of experience how it can carry over into other aspects of their lives,” said a donor who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Maybe 10 years from now one of those kids will be doing what they are doing, or maybe one of those kids is going to write the next great American novel.”

Sams described his own journey to Dancing Wheels as transformative, giving his work a renewed sense of direction or – to be more profound – a purpose.

“I feel as if you are not sharing the talents you have, it’s not really a gift,” he said. “If it was gifted to you, you should be able to gift it to other people so they can feel that same sense of impactfulness that you felt. This gives me purpose.”

Dancing Wheels calls what they do “translation” — the way choreographers make dance possible between standing and seated performers. And that opens the door to walk or roll through.

As it should be, according to Pompeo.

“Dance truly is the universal language, and I want my students to know that everybody – big or small disabled or not, has a place in the studio,” she said. “And Dancing Wheels are artists. What they do is incredible, not just because they are breaking barriers, but because they are making art – beautiful art.”

Dancing Wheels Company & School can be contacted via their office at (216) 432-0306 or through their website dancingwheels.org. The dance company maintains an active presence on Facebook and Instagram.