- Have you ever danced?
- Yes, I am a dancer.
- You're a dancer, too?
- Yeah.
- Elmo just goes like this.
(child laughing)
(Elmo laughing)
(light gentle music)
- Hi. - Hi.
- I'm Moses.
- Hi, I'm Samantha.
Do you know what we're here to talk about today?
- Hmm,
are you an artist?
Because Frida Kahlo is also in a wheelchair
and she was a really great artist from Mexico.
- Wow! Okay, I'm blown away. (child giggles)
(Samantha laughs)
- I'm a dancer.
- [Abby] I love that because dance combines movement
and music.
- Wait, you're a dancer?
- Yeah, so I'm on a dance team
with eight other women, - (puppet giggles)
- and they're all in wheelchairs as well.
- Do you have a team name?
- We're the "Rollettes".
- Oh, I like the name. - [Samantha] Yeah, yeah.
- So your team is like,
everyone has like a disability?
- Mm-hmm, yeah. We're all in wheelchairs.
- [Child] Oh.
- [Samantha] Yeah. - Wait, everyone?
- Yes - Oh my gosh, that's so cool.
- Yeah.
- What are you looking at?
- Well, I'm trying to figure out how do you dance?
- So I dance with my wheelchair.
My wheelchair is basically my legs.
What your legs are to you,
my wheelchair is to me.
- Wow!
- Is it hard to dance in a wheelchair?
- It's a little bit hard.
I have feeling from here up.
So kind of from here down,
it's a little hard to like
find balance and get situated,
but, for the most part,
we adapt things and make it work for us.
- Like, what can you do?
- So I'm able to do wheelies
and I'm able to hold my balance in it.
I'm able to do some spins.
- That sounds so fun!
(group laughs)
- What's your superpower?
Because people with disabilities
tend to have the greatest superpowers.
- So I think my superpower is my disability.
Do you guys have any special superpowers?
- Well, one of my superpowers growing up was kindness.
And now,
another superpower that I have is love too.
- Oh, I love that.
- I think kindness, love and knowledge.
Cause you know, so much. - Thank you.
- You're really smart.
- Thank you. (Samantha giggles)
- Can you show me one of your dance moves?
Like your coolest one.
- Yeah, my wheelies.
- Oh yeah. I wanna see. - Yeah, I'll show you that.
All right.
(whimsical music) (child laughs)
- Oh! She's spinning. - Wow!
(whimsical music)
- Oh! Beautiful arms.
- And then we have like a duck waddle.
We like to call it.
- Oh.
(whimsical music)
(child and Abby giggle)
- Wow.
- I loved it. (Abby laughs)
- I'm like, how does she do that?
- So what is your favorite dance pose?
- So it usually is a hand on the hip,
- On the hip.
- and then a little pizzazz on the hand.
- And then like a little pizzazz.
- Yeah. There you go. - I do it.
- And then you can do a little shake
if you want to.
- Oh, that's good. - (Elmo and child giggle)
- I Love that.
Perfect. (Everyone giggles)
- I like the flap flap flutter flap.
- And how does that one go?
- You go flap flap flutter flap.
And then I like to go.
Woo.
(child laughs)
- I love that. You have your own little song with it too.
- Yes.
- Have you ever danced?
- Yes. I am a dancer.
- You're a dancer too?
- Yeah. I mostly like to do hip hop
but, I do like to do lyrical and jazz too.
- Well, that's amazing! (child giggles)
- Thanks. (Elmo and child giggle)
- Elmo just go like this.
(everyone giggles)
- Do you dance?
- No, not really.
- [Samantha} No? (puppet giggles)
- Do you just dance when no one is looking
or in your room?
- Ummmm
- It's ok to say if you do.
I won't tell anybody.
- I do. - Ack!
- Did you use a wheelchair when you were kid?
- I didn't.
I started using a wheelchair when I was 17
and that's when I was injured and
- Aw
- I've gotten used to it.
I like to say that it's home.
- How do you feel being in a wheelchair?
- I have good days and bad days.
Just like everybody else.
There isn't really anything that I can't do.
- Wow. That's pretty cool. (puppet laughs)
- [Samantha} Yeah.
- It is.
- Did kids tease you about your wheelchair
in the first place?
- Everyone was actually very welcoming.
So I didn't dance prior to my accident
and getting involved with the team
opened up the world to me
with like my community and my disability.
What is your community?
- My dog.
- So many people and monsters
and grouches and honkers and birds.
Wait, are we a community now?
- I think so.
- Yeah. - Oh wow.
- Growing up, there was a lot of things
where I felt out of place
and like I was trying to find where I belonged.
And after my injury and finding the team,
I definitely feel like I found where I belong.
Is there any particular time where you feel like you belong?
- This is one of the times. (child giggles)
I like talking
and I kind of like making friends.
- I love that.
- Do you wanna be dancing forever?
- I would definitely love to.
Even if I'm not professionally dancing
or in a performance,
I think dance is something
that's gonna be in me, regardless.
- That's so cool.
I feel like I'm gonna keep dancing
for the rest of my life.
- It's really great to have a passion.
- Yeah.
- And when you keep working at it,
you just get better and better at it.
- Yeah.
Thank you so much Sam! - Thank you.
- Elmo's really happy
to have both of you as friends.
- Yeah. Thank you. (Elmo giggles)
- Can Elmo have a hug?
- Yes
- Aw, thank you.
And one more hug, one more,
come on bring it in.
- Of course, of course of course.
- Aw thank you. ( Elmo giggles)