Highlights
- Rocca Salcedo says she has realised her dream of inspiring people through her wheelchair Dance & Roll classes.
- The Melburnian has needed the assistance of a wheelchair since the age of 25.
- The dance sessions are held online, which has expanded their reach across Australia.
The Melburnian’s love for music and dance led her to form Dance & Roll, a wheelchair dancing project.
She says participants are often shy and passive when they first give it a try, but attitudes soon change once they get the hang of it.
“You notice that change in how they have confidence in themselves and how they enjoy the dance,” she tells SBS Spanish.
"This is the greatest satisfaction I have had, seeing my group happy, and bringing joy and transforming their lives, that is the best gift for me.”
The dance sessions started with just three participants and now, thanks in part to the pandemic and the use of online platforms, they have grown to 20 members spread across Australia.
Rocca Salcedo leading a Dance & Roll session. Source: Provided by source
"Since we started with the pandemic and we could not do the face-to-face classes, we started online, and it has been a success because now we have people who joined from many parts of Australia.
“It is about enjoying without restrictions and it is simply incorporating the chair into your movements.”
On September 30, 2021, the Victorian government awarded Ms Salcedo the Minister’s Award for outstanding leadership.
Rocca Salcedo was just 25 when a traffic accident changed her life. Source: Provided by source
She says being recognised for the project has changed her.
"I made a dream come true with this project; I didn't think it would have such a great reception."
However, getting to this point was not easy.
Ms Salcedo moved to Australia from her native Colombia to complete a master’s degree in international law at the University of Melbourne.
She worked with the Colombian government and had a study license for a time before returning to her country.
Tragedy struck when she was 25 when a vehicle ran a red light and struck her while she was crossing the street.
She spent more than 18 months in recovery but bounced back to complete her master's degree before deciding to stay in Australia for medical reasons.
The process to remain involved submitting paperwork to change her visa status, which she says was complicated and expensive.
"Something that I have learned in these 20 years is that life is very short, and you have to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered to you, especially in a place like Australia.
You inspire many people that there are no limitations, that not being able to move your legs does not prevent you from enjoying life.
Ms Salcedo explains that the process of learning to live in a wheelchair involves working on self-esteem, something that dancing helps with.
“As a woman, you feel that you are not sexy or that you cannot dance in a feminine way again, so the group has transformed us all because learning to know your body and learn to move it in a way that looks coordinated and rhythmic, it makes you feel good about yourself.
You feel feminine again that you can enjoy some dances and enjoy a party without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.
“The more you do it, you no longer care what people do and quite the opposite, you inspire many people that there are no limitations, that not being able to move your legs does not prevent you from enjoying life and something as beautiful as enjoying music and dancing.”
Some of her classes, in which people between the ages of 20 and 75 participate, incorporate Zumba choreography.
Having to use online platforms to host classes has opened up new possibilities for the project and now Ms Salcedo hopes to expand its reach.
“I would like it to reach many people in rural areas with disabilities because services are so much more limited.
“We can reach any part of Australia in remote areas where they suddenly feel isolated or alone and can connect with us.
People have welcomed them very well with these very Latin rhythms, they love it.
But it is not just about the dance moves, the social connection is a fundamental part of the project.
“The nice thing is that it is not only a dance class, we also have made a community of friends, but we also socialised, we connected… especially in the midst of the pandemic, the group has been an incentive for many people who feel alone and isolated or with depression.
"We want to bring joy to many people."
