Street roots., August 12, 2016, Page 11, Image 11

Street Roots • August 12-18, 2016
Page 11
News
INSPIRING, from page 10
"I broke
down and I
cried. I was
fearful that
my career
would never
exist» but
what it I had
given up?"
her 800-mile move to the Windy City.
Fraser is undoubtedly a talented dancer,
but her talent could not have surfaced if she
had let her condition be a barrier. Instead,
she let her scoliosis be a characteristic or a
trait that describes her.
“In the past 10 years, scoliosis has not
stopped me once,” she said proudly. “After I
was diagnosed, I found ways to make it
work. If choreographers or teachers came
to work with us, my diagnosis was never
something that held me back. If there was
tricky-choreography that scared me, I still
would try it in the back of the room. I never
let scoliosis hold me back like I was
‘disabled.’”
Fraser’s stress of and distaste for that
final word is significant to her story. Her
refusal to label herself as “disabled” was a
leap toward empowerment among many
other choices she made during her journey
to establish herself as a professional dancer.
“The most empowering part of my
journey is that I was able to persevere
without getting the surgery for my
condition,” she explained, “The research
that I did and the mentors that I had in my
life reminded me that it wasn’t the end of
the world. I broke down and I cried. I was
fearful that my career would never exist, but
what if I had given up?”
If she had given up, she would not have
spent the past 13 years wearing braces,
keeping countless appointments, training
until she hurt, healing the best she could to
do it all again the next day, and finally
dancing for her dream company. Because,
she chose not to give up, she serves as a
role model for others of all walks of life.
“My director (Nick Pupillo of Visceral
Dance Chicago) is big on each of us being
individuals,” Fraser said. “None of us look
the same, and he loves that. We were all
from different places. We are dancers who
are unique and we have different traits and
different personalities. We bring another
sense of diversity to Chicago. Someone in
the audience can connect with at least one
of us.”
When Fraser is not gliding across the
stage, she’s teaching the next generation of
dancers at Visceral. Now in her third season
with the company, she helps young dancers
perfect their pirouettes, promenades,
lunges, and stags, but she also shows them
that not all bodies learn to perform the
moves in the same way. Through her
coaching and her Intel campaign, Fraser
makes it a point to educate and lift up those
around her.
She offered a word of advice to anyone
facing barriers to their goals, regardless of
their able-bodiedness. “It boils down to
believing in yourself even when it’s
difficult,” she said. “It takes time; it takes
preparation; and it takes hard work. I want
my story to inspire and empower other
women, other women of color, other
dancers, and other dancers with disabilities.
You don’t have to stop dancing.”
NOHEMI MORAN FOR
NOMEE
Paige Fraser went
against her
doctor’s advice to
undergo surgery
and instead
learned to adapt to
the exaggerated
curvature of her
spine.
Courtesy of Streetwise / INSP.ngo
At Health Share, we
believe good health is
more than what happens
inside your doctor’s office.
Good health starts in your
community and includes
staying active, eating
healthy food and getting
regular check-ups.
Share your healthy habits
with family and friends. We
can all have better health
when we share it together.
health
Better health
together.
www.healthshareoregon.org
Cuts & Checks Barbershop Blood
. 'ressure Program / Terrell Brandon
Barber Shop North by Northeast
Community Health Center/
Legacy Emanuel Medical Center