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Woman on crutches performs epic 'Dirty Dancing' routine that leaves everyone in awe

"I love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things."

Photo Via Canva/Wikipedia

Disabled dancer Sophia Adzoa-Moore (@sophh.a.m) performs epic dance on crutches to 'Dirty Dancing' song.

Watching people dance is totally magical and mesmerizing. With rhythm and charisma, an amazing dance performance can make you feel alive. And disabled dancer Sophia Adzoa-Moore (@sophh.a.m) is one of those dancers capturing audiences.

She brought her stunning talent in a recent performance during a dance class to the song "Yes" by Merry Clayton. It's a high-energy song that was featured in the iconic movie Dirty DancingDirty Dancing, and Sophia absolutely crushed her unique choreography with her crutches.

"Dancing in heels on crutches? it’s been a while!!!! i love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things," she captioned the post. "Big day bc i rarely have my curly hair out bc i’ve never been able to style it well and so it doesn’t look great, AND i don’t have a long top on but i still had so much fun. it’s also the fullest class i’ve ever done, so space was limited, but again!!! coped!!! 🎷🫶🏽🩼👠🥰"

@sophh.a.m

dancing in heels on crutches? it’s been a while!!!! i love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things. big day bc i rarely have my curly hair out bc i’ve never been able to style it well and so it doesn’t look great, AND i don’t have a long top on but i still had so much fun. it’s also the fullest class i’ve ever done, so space was limited, but again!!! coped!!! 🎷🫶🏽🩼👠🥰 🧠: laura hills 👠: @LaDuca Shoes 🏤: @Pineapple Dance #disabilitytiktok #fyp #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #disabledperformer #diversity #mobilityaid #coolcrutches #laducashoes #disability #pineappledancestudios #jazz #musicaltheatre

In the video, Sophia takes hold of the moves, showing off her impressive strength and ingenuity as she dances in a packed dance class, hitting her marks and doing impressive spins and backbends. "Things that make me anxious: my natural hair, dancing in just a sports bra, wearing heels with crutches...big day for soph!!!" she shared in the video's caption. "The mechanics of getting the crutches out of the way for a backbend is A LOT!"

And viewers are totally mesmerized by her moves. "the way you modify the movement but still capture the same essence and energy of the original choreography is just incredible! (and your curly hair looks great)," one wrote. Another commented, "I mean this with all the respect, you dance like nothing is wrong & nothing hurts! The effort it must take to look effortless!! 🔥🔥🔥 To have to modify to keep the same pace as everyone. You are a marvel!! Just the best dancer!!" And another added, "Oh you DEVOURED this."

@sophh.a.m

musicals 🤝🏽 good disability rep? youve got me seated. love u @Wicked Movie 🫶🏽 can’t stop singing the it’s just liiiIIIiIiiiIfeee bit DC: christopher scott dreaming of being in a movie like this frrrrr #fyp #disabilitytiktok #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #crutches #wickedmovie #wickeddance #dancingthroughlife

In an interview with Cool Crutches, Sophia shared, "I originally stopped being able to walk due to pain in my left hip when I was 13, and ended up on crutches. I had multiple hip operations which didn’t work long term. I was then diagnosed with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome at around 15 and continued having hip operations culminating in a PAO in 2020. With no long term relief, I ended up having a hip replacement at 21 (in a pandemic – was not fun!)."

She was recently diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), but is not letting it stop her. "It's doesn't change anything. There is no cure... I am OK with my life. Yes I'm in a bit of pain and life is very different to how one might have imagined it when I was five, and I'm OK with that," she told the BBC.

When it comes to dancing with crutches, she has figured out how to make choreography her own.

"Because I used to dance without crutches, my brain is learning choreography just like non-disabled dancers. It takes a minute for me to learn the choreography and then translate it into what my body needs to do now and sometimes that needs an extra minute," she shared with the BBC.

@sophh.a.m

decided to remake one of my old solos from when i was like 15 but now on crutches. that soph would be so shocked to see what i do now 😂 might do some more of these bc it’s so nice to look back on these old dancing videos 🤍 thought this would bring on body grief big time, but actually other than reminiscing on some moves i used to be able to do rlly well, i loved taking on the challenge and making a dance that i loved suit me now! 🩼: @coolcrutches amethyst sky #disabilitytiktok #fyp #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #disabledperformer #musicaltheatre #crutches #invisibledisability #mobilityaid #coolcrutches #jazz #competitiondance #modern

Despite her diagnosis, her dance career is flourishing. In July 2024, she graduated from the musical theatre college, Performance Preparation Academy in Guildford, Surrey. And she has landed major dance performance opportunities in London, and continues to audition.

"Dancing still, as it has always done, brings me so much joy and the added bonus of the crutches really is just what makes me, me now," she shared.

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This woman shared that she's #DisabledAndCute. The internet reacted.

Keah Brown feels cute, and she's not afraid to show it.

But for the 25-year-old from upstate New York, it hasn't always been that way.

“It took me a while to get to that place to feel any sort of positive thing about my physical appearance," says Brown, who has cerebral palsy. "So now that I do, I’m like, hey, I might as well celebrate it.”

On Feb. 12, 2017, Brown shared photos of herself on Twitter using the hashtag #DisabledAndCute.

The idea behind the hashtag was pretty simple.

“What I wanted to do was make something that felt empowering to me and to other disabled people," she explains.

The message caught on.

Others in the disability community started sharing photos of themselves using the hashtag, too.

Before long, #DisabledAndCute became a trending phrase, with lots of people joining the conversation.

"I wanted to do something to celebrate disabled folks and take the time to really take back the narrative that all we are is something to be pitied or used as what I’d call, 'inspiration porn,'” Brown says.

Inspiration porn, she notes, is "only being as valuable as what you can achieve or make able-bodied people feel about themselves."

The hashtag became intersectional, too, with people from all walks of life and various experiences chiming in.

Sometimes, pets made appearances.

But mostly, the hashtag filled up with selfies from folks who were feeling good about being themselves.

“It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Brown explains of responses to the hashtag — although not everyone's been on board.

Some voices in the disability community were critical of Brown's choice of the word "cute," she says, explaining that able-bodied people often talk down to folks who are living with a physical disability. When able-bodied people say things like, "You're so adorable" to those living with a physical disability, it can be demeaning and infantilizing.

But that point wasn't lost on Brown.

“What I wanted to do was reclaim the word ‘cute,’" she says. "I think it’s OK when we feel cute, and it’s OK to say that.”  

"I generally dislike making human beauty the focus of any discussion," one user wrote. "But why not celebrate?"

“A lot of times — specifically with social media — disabled people are often used as memes or jokes," says Brown.

"And this hashtag was a way to put that on its head and for people to tell their own story and celebrate themselves in a positive way.”

Scrolling through responses, you'll notice #DisabledAndCute wasn't so much about being "brave" — it was about loving who you are...

...and showing off fierce photos, too.

Some people's disabilities were more visible than others.

But that wasn't the point, either.

"We are all hella #DisabledAndCute" was more what the hashtag was going for.

And the internet pulled it off quite nicely.

Brown wants able-bodied people to understand she "doesn't have to be your inspiration porn or your pity party to be good enough."

But she'd appreciate your help in fighting for what's right.

Disabled people "can have happy lives — we can be loved," she notes. "We don’t need you to feel bad for us. It would be nice if you were in our corner when we’re fighting for our rights, but you don’t have to feel bad for us, because we’re living full lives.”  

Check out more photos and join the discussion on #DisabledAndCute.

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The disability vote counts in 2016, but it wasn’t always that way.

What it was like to vote while disabled 50 years ago, compared to now.

With all the progress that's been made in America, the "Land of Opportunity," it’s hard to believe the right to vote wasn’t always a given for everyone — including the disabled.

But if we take a look back at American history, we can see that there was a time not too long ago when people with disabilities did not have a say in any election, let alone a presidential one.

It wasn’t because of someone’s personal beliefs against voting, or even religious beliefs. There were simply no laws in place for the disabled to make their voices heard, which caused a longstanding battle of discrimination and prejudice. In fact, people within the disabled community were (and still are) often denied the right to vote despite steps being taken to grant them that right.

Photo via iStock

In the 1960s, the disabled community got real about prejudice during the disability rights movement.

Before that, if you had a disability, you probably couldn't vote. The polls weren’t accessible.

The movement sparked radical change for more than 54 million Americans by ensuring that polling places — as well as the actual voting process — would be made accessible. This includes having ballots printed in Braille for the blind or visually impaired.

I have cerebral palsy and use a motorized wheelchair, so I’m one of those 54 million people who can now vote more easily.

I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to be a statistic in this demographic because it’s a group that often has to fight a little harder for what they want and what they believe in.

I’m also not ashamed to say I’ve voted before. In fact, it was one of the first things I did when I came of age. My older brother went with me to help, and at this particular time, I didn’t have my motorized chair. I just had my manual one that I use in case of an emergency or if I’m going somewhere for a short period of time.

Photo via iStock.

My brother lifted me (and my chair) out of the car and pushed me into our local polling place. The room was fairly large, and there was a woman waiting at a table to check my voter registration card as we came in the door. I pulled the card out of my wallet and showed it to her.

“It says here you’re 18?” She asked immediately (because I didn’t look 18).

“Yes ma’am,” I replied.

My age caught her off guard, but I could tell by the surprised look on her face and her body language that my chair did, too. I don’t know which one surprised her more, but I wasn’t really bothered by it. I’m used to getting that reaction from people, and I understand it’s part of having a disability.

For the most part, voting for the first time was a hassle-free experience for me — except the booth was almost too high for me to reach from my chair.

It made for some difficulties, but I decided not to make a big deal out of it because it wasn’t a matter of someone doing that on purpose to prevent me from voting. It was minor compared to some of the challenges I’ve faced in my life. If anything, I was just proud to cast my vote.

For me, voting for the first time mattered because it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than myself.

This year, disabled Americans will be turning out in droves to vote, given Donald Trump’s blatant mockery of disabled folks. That means it’s even more important for every voting booth to be accessible.  

In fact, according to the American Association of People with Disabilities, people with disabilities will account for about one-sixth of eligible voters in the 2016 election — 34.6 million people.

In 2016, there will be 62.7 million eligible voters who either have a disability or live with someone who has a disability, more than one-fourth of the total electorate. And in 2012, 56.8% of people with disabilities voted, compared to 62.5% of people without disabilities.

Photo via iStock.

This election will be a milestone not just because of its magnitude, but also because of what it represents, as well as what’s at stake. And for the first time, I think people with disabilities will be on a level playing field like never before.  

Changes have been made to include the disabled community in voting, and that is a huge step forward.

But our progress can’t — and won’t — stop there. If we have something to say, Nov. 8, 2016, is the time to say it.

It’s our chance to counteract the embarrassment that Trump has inflicted on so many people with disabilities and to start righting some wrongs, too.

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Trump allegedly used the r-word. Next time, he should use this handy chart.

Donald Trump allegedly used the r-word during the 2011 season of his reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice."

The then-host of the reality show referred to contestant Marlee Matlin — an award-winning deaf actress who starred on the show — as "retarded" and routinely mocked her intelligence, series staffers told The Daily Beast.

Actress Marlee Matlin. Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Turner.

According to the staffers, Trump once scribbled, “Marlee, is she retarded?” on a note other employees saw. He ridiculed her voice, similarly to how he belittled a New York Times reporter with a physical disability. And he regularly talked down to her in meetings, as if her deafness somehow made her mentally inept.

"[It] sounded like he got a real kick out of it," one staffer noted. "It was really upsetting.”

On Oct. 14, 2016, Matlin responded to the report on Twitter:

Who knows what was going through Trump's head when he decided to use that word. Knowing Trump, he'd probably deny that this exchange ever happened. But, assuming 1) that it probably did, and 2) that we give him the benefit of the doubt, let's proceed as though he just didn't know that that's not an OK word to use.

So, for next time, Donald, here’s a helpful chart to utilize when you're not so sure, courtesy of the fine folks at the Military Special Needs Network:

[rebelmouse-image 19501631 dam="1" original_size="842x789" caption="Courtesy of the Military Special Needs Network." expand=1]Courtesy of the Military Special Needs Network.

As the chart sums up nicely, you should definitely use a different word ... pretty much always.

To be sure, some medical terminology and diagnoses have used the term in the past, but since then, the word has become increasingly less appropriate. You might also hear a baker toss around the word now and then as a verb when referring to bread (though the more popular term is "proofing"), but as far as in everyday speak, no — no one should ever use that word.

Hearing that Donald Trump, who made headlines early in his presidential campaign for mocking a disabled reporter, used the r-word on the set of "Celebrity Apprentice" isn't necessarily shocking, but it's not an example that such a public person should be setting.

As deaf model Nyle tweeted on Oct. 9, 2016:

Also, while we're on the subject, Mr. Trump, please consider using different words when referring to Mexicans, women, and black people too.

Please and thanks!

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