Every July, Disability Pride Month honors the strength, resilience, and achievements of people living with disabilities — and among those who inspire thousands is Chelsie Hill. After a spinal cord injury left her paralyzed, the lifelong dancer refused to give up on her dream. Instead, she founded The Rollettes, an empowering all-women wheelchair dance team that’s inspiring girls across the world to embrace who they are, move with confidence, and chase their dreams — no matter what challenges life brings.
Chelsie Hill
Her journey from heartbreak to hope began in a hospital in Monterey, California. Here, Woman’s World tells Chelsie’s inspiring story.
Chelsie Hill lay in her hospital bed, tears of despair stinging her eyes. A car accident had just left the Monterey, California, 17-year-old paralyzed from the waist down. “You’ll never walk again,” doctors told her…and Chelsie’s whole world shattered. She’d been a dancer since she was just a little girl, had won many competitions and had even dreamed of dancing professionally one day.
Turning to her dad, she choked, “Why did this happen? I had something I wanted to do with my life!”
Her father took her hand. “Maybe this happened to you because you’re supposed to do something even greater with your life,” he said, wiping away her tears.
All through her recovery, those words echoed in Chelsie’s mind. And as she learned to dress herself, get in and out of bed…do everything she’d done before, but in a wheelchair, it suddenly hit her: Why can’t I dance in my wheelchair? She knew dancing had always come from her heart, and her passion for it was still as strong as ever.
Suddenly, Chelsie saw her future brighten.
“I don’t want to stop doing what I love just because I’m different,” she told her dad. “And I want to show other women that being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean their dreams can’t still come true!”
The Rollettes
A place where everyone belongs
With her father’s encouragement, Chelsie decided to start her own wheelchair dance squad. And when she put feelers out on social media, her inbox quickly filled up with messages from interested young women. After holding several auditions, Chelsie whittled the group down to five girls. And in October of 2012, “The Rollettes” danced at a local charity event to promote awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities.
Everyone was amazed by their talent and energy, so when Chelsie’s dad shared a video of their performance on Facebook, it immediately went viral. Soon, the squad began receiving messages from other girls who’d also suffered spinal cord injuries and who loved to dance.
Chelsie’s heart swelled reading the inspiring responses. “What if we hold dance classes and a camp for women and girls in wheelchairs?” she asked the team.
They happily agreed, and that summer, Chelsie and her teammates hosted the first “Rollettes Experience,” a four-day workshop that not only included dance sessions but also seminars on makeup, wellness, health and fitness.
Looking around at the smiling faces, Chelsie’s heart was full. This is our place, she beamed as she watched beautiful friendships blossom. A place where everyone belongs.
Chelsie Hill
Dreams come true
In the past decade, The Rollettes’ fame has continued to grow. And today, Chelsie and her team—Conner Lundius, Joci Scott, Samantha Lopez, Edna Serrano, Danika Whitsett—perform at all kinds of events across the country and internationally.
As for the Rollettes Experience, which hosted just six girls that first summer, they just welcomed over 250 women in Los Angeles in July.
Chelsie Hill
“The camp was the most incredible week filled with empowering girls,” a past attendee from Ohio says. “It changed my life!” Another dancer from Connecticut adds, “I didn’t just find inspiration and friendship: I found home.”
Chelsie has since graced the cover of Women’s Health magazine, performed at the Paris Paralympics opening ceremony, and appeared in Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” music video. and has a growing portfolio of high-profile partnerships—from Reebok and Disney to Dove, Target, and Aerie.
But hearing from others about how she has been an inspiration to them still fills Chelsie’s heart with joy. “I know how frightening it is to have your whole life change in an instant,” shares the now 33-year-old. “I don’t know what my life would be like if I’d never met these girls. They gave me purpose and have shown me that if you never give up, anything is possible. Life may turn out differently than we plan, but it can still be so wonderful!”
