Sometimes the most brilliant solutions to problems come from thinking far outside the box
and combining worlds that no one ever thought to connect.
So, how can dance influence the way we design, use, and interact with wheelchairs?
Image: mixed ability dancers dancing together onstage some in early versions of the Rolling Dance Chair
Source: USF News
For Merry Lynn Morris, dance is more than a form of expression, it is a place for marvelous innovation. As a choreographer and the Assistant Director of the Dance Program at the University of South Florida, she began working dancers who were wheelchair users and wanted to find a way to give them greater freedom of movement as they danced.
Influenced by her own experiences and her work as a dancer and choreographer she has created a remarkable wheelchair, The Rolling Dance Chair, that defies all convention and allows a freedom of movement that could be transformative far beyond the dance studio.
SciFri brings us this story of innovation and possibility…
Via: SciFri 1
Connecting worlds…
Imagine if we thought this out of the box more often? If we saw more potential in bridging seemingly distant worlds?
We hardly ever think of the arts influencing technology or medicine, but it can give us an entirely different and diverse frame of reference!
When we bring new perspectives to problems, we completely shift what’s possible. This is the kind of thinking will change the future for us all. The more we celebrate people’s diverse backgrounds and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, the more we will see our horizons expand.
It’s still an amazing world because there is limitless possibility out there for the kind of innovation that will come as we connect worlds, and celebrate the thought-leaders who are already ushering in the future!
Stay beautiful & keep laughing!
-Liesl
How Dance is Informing Wheelchair Technology
