Say That Again

The article explores how audiences, critics, and disabled dancers interpret disability in dance, why some of these interpretations have come about, and their effect on the field and on disabled artists. It looks at some of the history of disability in dance from the Judson Church Movement to the rise of physically integrated dance, then turns to the personal history of a dancer and choreographer, and concludes with the work of Kinetic Light, a disability arts company. It also considers how nondisabled choreographers came to be so dominant in the field and the unintentional effects of that predominance. The emphasis is on the importance of disability aesthetics, histories, cultures, and politics as ways for disabled dancers to move away from ability and medical status as interpretive lenses in creation and performance. Using Kinetic Light’s DESCENT and signature approaches to access and audio description, the article shows how disabled culture and disability cultural values offer a powerful alternative to standard impulses toward disability inclusion.