Wheelchair ballroom dancing champion visits old school to share her story

Wheelchair ballroom dancing champion visits old school to share her story

2023-03-27

And now for a spotlight on champion wheelchair ballroom dancer Ho Hsin-ju. After losing her legs at the age of 9, Ho Hsin-ju spent many years coming to terms with life in a wheelchair. When she found ballroom dancing, everything changed. She and her husband now tour Taiwan and abroad, winning championships with their snappy routines. We went with her on a poignant visit to her old school, to share her passion for dance with the next generation.

Children sit in the school hall, enraptured, and clap as they listen to the dancer in front of them. Then it’s time to get up and give ballroom dancing a try.

Ho Hsin-ju shows off some of her elegant moves. She was invited back to her alma mater, Shanchi Elementary in Hsinchu, to introduce her art to the students.

Ho Hsin-ju
Wheelchair ballroom dancer
Decades later, I have the opportunity to come back and share my experiences with the young students. If feels like a return to glory. I’m grateful to the children for their encouragement.

Ho has given speeches all across Taiwan – but coming back to her own school is a different task. She was just in second grade when she lost both her legs in a tragic railway accident. Before that, she had been an avid runner; in an instant her running dreams were lost.

Ho Hsin-ju
Wheelchair ballroom dancer
My biggest dream back then was to be in the Olympic track and field team. But later I came across this wheelchair, and when I saw it, it was like seeing a pair of legs. I practiced as hard as I possibly could.

Through many ups and downs, Ho learned how to dance in a wheelchair, making it her new legs. Eventually she won an international reputation, and clinched no. 1 at the Asian Para DanceSport Championships. Her husband shares her passion for dance, and together they enjoy extreme sports as well as competing together on the dance floor.

Husband of Ho Hsin-ju
We have the same interests, so we’ve tried out lots of extreme sports together – things I had never done before, like touring the whole country, diving, kayaking, and paragliding.

The couple travels all over Taiwan, talking about their story – and wowing audiences – in schools and rural communities. They want to share their life stories and encourage others to find their own dance.

輪椅國標舞亞洲第一何欣茹受邀母校演講

2023-03-27

曾拿下輪椅國標舞大賽亞洲第一的何欣茹，9歲時，因為火車意外，雙腿截肢，歷經14年的自我封閉，直到遇上同樣是身障的先生後，才逐漸開朗，也燃起了舞蹈魂。她苦練輪椅舞，挑戰極限運動，戰勝挫折的歷程，十分激勵人心。

小朋友坐在地上，聽得入神，不時給出雷動掌聲，台前這位女士，穿著漂亮舞衣，用輪椅行動，手把手教起小朋友跳舞。

沒有雙腿的何欣茹，展現出優美舞姿，她受邀回母校新竹縣山崎國小演講，受到小朋友熱烈歡迎。

[[輪椅國標舞者何欣茹]]
“幾十年之後，我竟然有機會來跟學弟妹們分享，我覺得有種重返榮耀的感覺，也謝謝孩子們同樣地鼓勵了我。”

走遍全台演講，但回到母校卻有不同感受，因為當年她在就讀二年級時，遭遇嚴重的火車意外，造成雙腿截肢。在那之前她非常喜歡跑步，但一夕之間，夢想粉碎。

[[輪椅國標舞者何欣茹]]
“我以前最大的夢想是，我希望跑進奧運田徑場上，但是後來因為接觸到輪椅，我看到這台輪椅的時候，宛如看到了一雙腿，所以我拚了命練習。”

把輪椅當成自己的腿，何欣茹跌跌撞撞，努力練舞，登上國際舞台，拿下世界輪標舞大賽亞洲第一。她和先生興趣相同，還一起挑戰極限運動，一家人更組成舞蹈團共舞。

[[何欣茹先生]]
“我們有相同的興趣，於是我們就去挑戰很多的極限運動，以前從來沒做過的，包括去環島、去潛水、去獨木舟、飛行傘。”

何欣茹和家人走訪各偏鄉與學校，要把他們的生命故事分享出去，激勵更多人。

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