South African dancer Musa Motha lost his leg to bone cancer when he was 10 years old -- but now he dances with crutches, and works to improve inclusion for dancers with disabilities:
This was the first time Motha says he really had to reach outside his comfort zone and create a new mindset around dancing with a disability.
"There are very few people especially in South Africa that actually have projects whereby they involve dancers with disabilities," she added."It's something that's still very difficult, but it's slowly -- very, very slowly -- starting to change."in 2013, an inclusive dance company in Cape Town that enlists young South Africans with disabilities to get involved in the arts.
Motha says his mom was paramount to his success: "The part I took from her is that we don't give up in this house."Gerard Samuel, a professor of dance at the University of Cape Town, has written extensively on the invisibility of dancers with disabilities. He told CNN that though there has been some progress in both access and inclusion within dance, there is still much work to be done.
"I finally found the technique of one crutch and then using one as a leg and an arm at the same time," he added.Credit:He's also had some help along the way."We are in a place where we can learn so much from people living with disabilities," said Gladys Agulhas, a dance instructor who works with people with disabilities, including Motha."It's time now that we have to merge and recognize and respect who we are as individuals.