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A wheelchair dancer at the center
Ballroom follows Violet, an aspiring dancer who becomes paraplegic after a car accident. With support from therapists and a dance instructor, she begins dancing in her wheelchair while confronting depression and seeking a place on the dance floor. Madeline Delp, a wheelchair user who also experienced paralysis after a car accident, makes her feature-film debut as Violet.
Detroit expertise behind production
A competitive wheelchair ballroom dancer and Dance Mobility co-founder helped filmmaker Laurence Walsh develop the project after their 2022 contact. Their collaboration covered the character’s dance chair, costumes and choreography, using videos of wheelchair dancers as references. Dance Mobility also loaned Delp a dance wheelchair, and its instructors trained her in Detroit after she began without wheelchair ballroom experience.
Authenticity and visibility
Walsh described authentic casting as central and used a body double for standing scenes rather than casting an able-bodied actor as Violet. The film also features Dmitry Chaplin and Mia Schaikewitz. Schaikewitz, whose wheelchair-dancing experience followed teenage paralysis, was one inspiration for the script. Walsh hopes the drama increases appreciation for wheelchair ballroom dancing. Ballroom is available to rent or buy on several North American streaming services.
