The Dancing Wheels Company

Congratulations to our President & Founding Artistic Director, Mary Verdi-Fletcher, on receiving the 2025 Ohio Alliance for Arts Education Distinguished Leadership Award! 🎉

Presented during our 45th Anniversary Gala Benefit Concert at the Mimi Ohio Theatre, this prestigious award honors individuals whose leadership, advocacy, innovation, and mentorship have made a lasting impact on arts education throughout Ohio.

For more than 45 years, Mary has been a trailblazer in physically integrated dance, expanding access to the arts and championing inclusion for people of all abilities through The Dancing Wheels Company & School.

In a heartfelt moment, Mary shared this incredible honor with our Director of Education, Sara Lawrence-Sucato, recognizing Sara’s 20 years of excellence in performance and education with Dancing Wheels. Together, their passion and leadership continue to inspire artists, educators, and communities while advancing our mission of inclusion through the arts.

Please join us in celebrating Mary and Sara on this well-deserved recognition! 💙♿✨



Image Description: Four people stand onstage against a blue backdrop. A man holds a microphone toward a woman using a wheelchair, while two women beside her hold a piece of artwork and a framed item.

Celebrate National Dance Day with FREE classes at DANCECleveland’s Community Dance Day! 🎉💃

📅 Saturday, July 25
🕙 Starting at 10:00 AM

Join dancers of all ages and abilities for a day of movement featuring Contemporary, Ballet, African Drum & Dance, Hip Hop, Polynesian, Flamenco, Ballroom, Jazz, and more!

We’re especially excited that Dancing Wheels Company artist Sara Lawrence-Sucato will be leading adaptive movement classes in Beginner Tap, Contemporary, and African Drum & Dance, making dance accessible and welcoming for everyone.

Come celebrate the joy of movement, explore a new dance style, and dance with your community!

✨ Registration is free! Visit dancecleveland.org/events to sign up for one or more classes.



Image Description: A purple event graphic with green geometric accents features a headshot of a smiling woman with brown hair and bangs. The text reads: “DANCECleveland Community Dance Day,” “Free Event,” “Adaptive Dance with Sara Lawrence-Sucato,” and “July 25 at Playhouse Square.”

Still thinking about our 45th Anniversary Gala! ✨

Enjoy these photos from Leather, Lace and Legends, choreographed by Annette Gaetana-Ellis. This powerful work was one of many unforgettable performances that made our anniversary celebration so special.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and helped celebrate 45 years of physically integrated dance, artistry, and community. 🩵

📸 Photography by Mark Horning



Image 1:
A diverse group of dancers, including wheelchair users and standing performers, strike bold, expressive poses under warm stage lighting against a dark background.

Image 2:
Three dancers perform together onstage under blue lighting. A standing dancer extends a high leg between two wheelchair dancers, creating a dynamic, connected composition.

Image 3:
Five dancers form a low, sculptural shape onstage, their bodies reaching outward in different directions under dramatic stage lighting.

Our Education Director, Sara Lawrence-Sucato, will be there to support and demonstrate adaptive dance techniques for seated participants, including dancers of all abilities! She'll be in Contemporary at 10:00 AM with Melissa Ajayi in the Gund studio, Tap at 11:30 AM with Janet Schroeder in the Wist black box theatre, and African Drum and Dance at 1:00 PM with Talise Campbell in the Gund studio.

Classes are FREE, but reservations are required. https://www.dancecleveland.org/events

Next week! Bring your dancing shoes and get ready to move and dance all day long!

Starting at 10 am, take part in more than a dozen free classes for all ages and abilities in dance styles including Contemporary, Ballet, African Drum & Dance, Hip Hop, Polynesian, Flamenco, Ballroom, Jazz and more. Community Dance Day is a wonderful time to try out the art form of dance and its many styles and celebrate movement together.

Then, at 3 pm, come see a wonderful free dance performance featuring some of Northeast Ohio's best local youth dancers in Playhouse Square's Allen Theatre!

Learn more: https://www.dancecleveland.org/events/2026/07/25/community-dance-day-2026