The Chance to Dance

Growing up, Riley Weinstein was turned away from dance studios, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion.

When I was two-years-old, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. My diagnosis was followed by two strokes, which left me paralyzed on the left side of my body requiring me to relearn everything: walking, talking, eating, speaking, and holding my head up on my own.

During these difficult early years, my parents were my ultimate support system. At the age of 5, my mother put me in dance classes because she knew that dance would be a great physical therapy for me. She would hold me up and help me dance along with the class because I did not have the strength at the time.

Starting with my first class, I fell in love with dance. Now twenty years later, my journey with dance has helped mold me into the woman I am today.

As I grew older, it was very hard for me to get into dance classes because no one taught dance to people who were differently abled. Time and time again, my mother and I would be turned away, but that didn’t stop us. When I was 11, my dad built a studio room for me to dance in since I didn’t have a place to dance. I would dance for hours in that room and pretend I was teaching classes. People would always stop and look through the window to watch me as I turned and leaped.

I did eventually find a studio that accepted me, and I was thriving in dance classes by the time I was 14. Still, I wanted to find a class that was for students that were differently abled, like me. So, with help from two mentors that I met through a therapeutic horseback riding center, I created and taught my own dance class for students who were differently abled at a studio called Vibe Performing Arts.

The classes were a huge hit! Two years later, I was teaching students in many different studios. While teaching these classes, I learned that I wasn’t the only one who had struggled to find inclusive classes. My students had similar obstacles. However, by taking my class, they finally had access to self-expression and physical therapy through dance.

Today, I am 25-years-old and have organized a benefit concert to raise money for dance scholarships, hosted my own choreography showcase, and even acted in the Fox television series, “Scream Queens”!

If my parents and I had given up the first time we were told ‘No’, I would not have found my independence through dance, my physical strengths, and my first love and passion that has grown into even more.

By telling my story, I hope to show other girls and women that they should never let anything hold them back from reaching their dreams.

Written by Riley Weinstein