I get very angry at the prejudice against wheelchair dancing.

The opposition Birgit faces motivates me more to show Norway what we can achieve.

What defines Birgit Skarstein as a dancer is a fantastic ability to train hard and for a long time. She pushes her body to the extreme. Sweat, repeat, bear the pain without self-pity, surrender.

She doesn’t give up even when it hurts, she’s solution-oriented and has a perfectionist eye for detail. And she is a team player. The qualities that I see developing on the dance floor, I think, are the same that have made her the elite athlete that she is.

Birgit has all the qualities one needs to become a good dancer, as well as the mindset to surrender when necessary. Birgit has everything you need and a little more.

Yes, and then use a wheelchair at the dance.

Without restrictions

I’ve been dancing for 15 years. Never with someone in a wheelchair. I didn’t really know what it was going for other than it was an exciting challenge. For me, life is more interesting to take the demanding paths where not everything is given.

Dancing with a partner in a wheelchair certainly didn’t turn out as I had thought. Now I have realized how wonderful it can be done. There are no limits, beyond trying and failing.

One must dare to explore, adapt a little, set high goals and not least have a lot of joy and patience along the way. It is very important to have an open mind and the ability to see what may be possible. You can’t say “this is not going to work.” You have to be open.

Dancing with Birgit has developed my own perception of dance. It has really helped me see the leeway that we have. I have more creative and fun ideas, because I have to think outside the box when creating choreography.

I wish I had done this when I was still active, because it would help me in my dance career. I quit as a competition dancer because I felt like I had done everything and was bored. Now the joy of dancing has returned. I can focus on something new, learn more, and be inspired.

Dance is for everyone

I am the luckiest person in the world to dance with Birgit. We are a really good team. That’s why it saddens me a bit when people judge Birgit as a person, without knowing her. I don’t think it’s right for her to be judged as a dancer before she has tried. In fact, I get very angry because I think it is very unfair.

I feel more motivated to show you what it can do. It inspires me to work harder, show everyone what we can do, and give everything to make every dance a party to watch. And so that more people dare to try it.

Dance is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are blind, have one leg, are short or long. Dancing is not ankles, arms or eyes. Dance is what you interpret yourself, what you feel. In fact, it is the only thing that matters.

For me, dance is freedom. It is creating something that does not yet exist. They are emotions. When I do a choreography, I think, “What, why, how.” Then I tell a story based on that.

The stories Birgit and I will tell this fall will be different from the ones you saw in Shall We Dance Before. But it is absolutely dancing.

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