San Diego’s Wheelchair Dancers Organization will host its 18th Annual Showcase from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Champion Ballroom Academy. The program will include more than 20 performances, with ballet, salsa, rhumba, Bollywood and interactive pieces open to people of every ability level. Three young dancers from Tijuana’s Ballet Teletón are scheduled to share the stage with wheelchair dancers for the first time.
Titled Different Abilities, Endless Possibilities, the showcase brings together professional dancers, choreographers, wheelchair dancers and the visiting Ballet Teletón troupe. Tickets cost $10 to $20, and the event includes a community resource fair. The program features a mix of dance styles and interactive pieces.
CRIT Baja California is a rehabilitation center for children with physical and neurological disabilities, according to Cross Border Xpress. Ballet Teletón is a program of Fundación Teletón México and began in 2017, according to Ballet Teletón.
A Binational Collaboration in Adaptive Dance
The collaboration began in July 2026, when Arellano received an email from Gabriela Del Rio Ahuactzin, Ballet Teletón’s corporate manager, the Union-Tribune reported. Their discussions covered adaptive-dance training and sharing resources, and Ballet Teletón was invited to perform. The troupe selected three students to represent its program, which serves children and young people with disabilities including quadriplegia, Down syndrome and autism, according to the same report.
Ballet Teletón describes its approach as classical ballet adapted to each student’s abilities and needs, with a focus on developing individual potential and talent.
Tijuana Choreographer Brings Two New Works
Tijuana-based choreographer Alejandra Naranjo, a classical ballet teacher with Ballet Teletón who also directs Ballet Irma, created two works for the showcase. The Union-Tribune reported that Camila Uribe and Valeria Clark will perform Strong, while Aylin Presencio, Renatta Carrillo, 16, and Griselle Sánchez, 24, will dance The Climb.
Ballet Teletón dancers have earned first-place trophies and qualified for national finals in competitions including the Mexico Dance Competition and Mexico Dance Convention, according to Ballet Teletón.
A San Diego Organization Rooted in Personal History
The Wheelchair Dancers Organization was founded in 2009 by Beverly Weurding. Weurding was diagnosed with a genetic disorder affecting her limbs at age 55. She later conceived the nonprofit during aquatic therapy sessions at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, according to UConn Magazine. The organization's mission is to create a community where people of all abilities can move, connect, and belong through accessible classes, diverse dance styles, and performance opportunities.
The organization offers classes in styles including ballroom and hip-hop. The nonprofit has also expanded into local schools with six-week adaptive dance programs and offers online classes, as detailed by SDVoyager.
The annual showcase typically draws about 200 audience members, with preparations beginning each January, according to KPBS. This year's event takes place at Champion Ballroom Academy.
Why Adaptive Dance Matters Locally
Research has examined dance movement therapy for some neurodegenerative conditions.
Other Recreation and Arts Programs
The Wheelchair Dancers Organization’s showcase is a performance-centered event; San Diego also has broader disability recreation services. The City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department says its Therapeutic Recreation Services program provides sports, recreation, leisure and outreach services to people with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. The department’s description does not specify a dance or performing-arts program. A separate example of binational cultural programming was part of the 2024 World Design Capital series. According to UC San Diego Park & Market, the series included a World Design Festival in Tijuana from May 1 to 5, 2024. That design program involved events across the San Diego–Tijuana region, rather than a disability-focused dance showcase.
The showcase brings dancers from both sides of the border together. More information on tickets and the Wheelchair Dancers Organization's programs is available at wheelchairdancers.org.
