The floor hums, the crowd buzzes, and we’re right in the middle of it—broadcasting from the Abilities Expo with Miss Wheelchair Ohio 2025, Alex Martinez. From the moment Alex describes thinking her win was a prank, you feel the shift from title to purpose: turning a crown into a platform that says everyone can dance, and everyone should be seen. We dig into the pageant’s reality—serious interviews, playful prompts, an unscripted on-stage question—and how that weekend revealed the heart of her message.

Alex takes us inside her platform: the therapeutic power of dance for bodies of every kind. Movement becomes a bigger idea—head nods, eye rhythms, shoulder pulses, joystick pivots, and power chair spins that slice through a chorus. Alex’s personal story with spina bifida threads through it all, guided by parents who taught her to do the thing even if it looks different. That mindset meets a rare environment at the Expo where "walkers" are the minority and possibility feels normal.

If you care about representation in dance, theater, or media, this conversation offers practical ways to change the stage: teach by intent instead of limb, build adaptive syllabi, cast disabled dancers in lead roles, and let joy be your on-ramp. You’ll hear spontaneous hallway dance stories, cultural mashups, and the simple truth that a beat can find anyone. Come for the pageant insights, stay for the choreography ideas, and leave with a new definition of movement that honors the body you live in.

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