Children in Motion: Together is Better

Dasha attends a school for children with disabilities in St. Petersburg. Although she has a musculoskeletal impairment, since she was a little girl she was interested in sports, but she couldn’t make up her mind which sport to concentrate on. She tried out track and field, boccia, tennis, and archery… Dasha was good at these sports, but none of them were her calling — a sport she really loved and wanted to dedicate her life to.

But at age eight Dasha tried wheelchair dancing. She immediately loved it, but it didn’t come easy to her. Her dance instructor admits that at first she had a really hard time. She didn’t do well in her coordination lessons and she just couldn’t get how to keep the rhythm and dance in sync with others. For a while it seemed that dance was not what Dasha had been searching for.

But Dasha loved to dance. She didn’t want to give up her lessons, so instead she doubled her efforts. She trained four times a week with a teacher who totally supported her. And before long Dasha improved and got really good at it. And now she’s no longer a newbie — she’s a real professional. She is a member of the Russian National Team in Wheelchair Dance Sport and has won numerous awards at the Dance Sport Continents Cup, World Cup, Russian Championship and Festival of wheelchair dancing in solo programs and in a dance troupe.

Dasha just got a new professional wheelchair for dancing, which will help her get even better results. Dasha has big plans for it. She intends to keep winning everywhere and every time she competes.

Seven-year-old Ivan is taking part in the Perspektiva project Children in Motion: Together is Better!  He has a vision impairment, and because he also has a mobility impairment, he wasn’t been keen on physical education — even though his teachers say that he really needs sports and physical activity.

 But Ivan’s interest in sports changed completely after he attended his first soccer match at the CSKA stadium in Moscow. It was a match between Russia and South Korea, and Ivan came with his teacher and other kids in the project. Ivan was thrilled by the match and inspired by that special atmosphere at the stadium where fans and athletes are one.

 Ivan decided to play soccer, too.

 Through Ivan’s participation in “Children in Motion. Better Together!” he learned how to handle the ball, passing and receiving like a pro. His actions are no longer random — he knows what he’s doing, and he helps his team win. Playing soccer and other active sports has helped improve his coordination and speed tremendously. And of course Ivan is more self-confident, balanced and disciplined. He really loves to play sports and uses every chance he gets to practice not only during gym and after school Children in Motion project classes, but during recess, and even at home by himself!