Serenity Burgos, Reporter with The Columbia Chronicle, features the 15th Anniversary of this festival:
“CounterBalance” began in an office conference room in 2009. Today, the showcase features 21 dancers with disabilities. The event was sponsored by Columbia’s Dance Center.
Kris Lenzo had no prior dance experience when he joined the first showcase of “CounterBalance” in 2009, but now 17 years later, Lenzo looks forward to the yearly opportunity to perform with other disabled dancers in front of a crowd that keeps on growing.
“After the first dance, I was really into it and I just didn’t see it coming. But I’m really glad that’s what I’ve been doing since then,” Lenzo said.
After having both of his legs amputated at 19, Lenzo continued to be an athlete and is pursuing his passion of dance. Lenzo joined the Momenta Dance Company in 2003, and joins them yearly at the “CounterBalance” showcase.
Momenta celebrated their 15th annual showing of the “CounterBalance” showcase on Friday, Oct. 16, with around 60 people filling out a theater in Columbia’s Dance Center at 1306 S. Michigan Ave.
“CounterBalance” is an inclusive dance concert focused on giving dancers of all different types of abilities a chance to perform...
The idea for “CounterBalance” started back in 2008. Ginger Lane co-founded the idea as a disabled dancer herself.
“It came about because the organization that I worked for, Access Living, had started a disability arts and culture project but dance had not been included,” Lane said. “So because I’m a dancer, I said, ‘why don’t we put on a show so that we can include a disability art component?’”
The first “CounterBalance” was not the production that can be seen today. In fact, it didn’t even take place on a stage.
“It started as a one-evening performance, it was in an office building in the conference room,” Lane said. “It has grown into a very professional evening and a wonderful stage for disabled performers.”
…Sophomore dance major Emily Lhanang understood that message. As an audience member, Lhanang felt that the show was a great way to shine a light on performers with different abilities.
“What is the function of expression if you’re not letting that be malleable to different people,” Lhanang said. “I think it’s important that every person can express themselves, no matter if they’re disabled. It’s important that a community is a community of every kind of person.”
Read the whole feature on The Chronicle’s website.
Images above: by Anthony Hernandez, courtesy of The Columbia Chronicle.
