Choreographing Access: Disability-Led Dance in Canada and Beyond with Dr. Kelsie Acton

In this episode of the History in 60 Companion Podcast, host John Loeppky explores inclusive and disability-led dance with Dr. Kelsie Acton. For generations, dance has been defined by uniformity, precision, and bodies moving in specific, codified ways. That definition often left disabled dancers outside the frame. But over the past several decades, disabled artists and companies have redefined what dance can look like, expanding technique, reshaping rehearsal spaces, and embedding access directly into performance itself. Drawing on her experience as a dance artist, inclusive practice leader, and scholar, Dr. Kelsie Acton reflects on how inclusive dance spaces are built, why language around disability and dance continues to evolve, and how access functions for both performers and audiences. Together, they examine how disability history is carried forward not only in archives and books, but in bodies through repertoire, repetition, and creative practice. Watch the full episode on AMI+ Find the Video Podcast on YouTube GUEST BIO Dr. Kelsie Acton is a scholar, access practitioner, and former dance artist whose work explores the intersection of disability culture, performance, and inclusive practice. She previously co-led an integrated disability dance company in Edmonton, Alberta, and later served as Inclusive Practice Manager at Battersea Arts Centre in the United Kingdom, where she helped advance relaxed performance methodology and accessible arts practice. Dr. Acton’s research examines how movement, space, and access shape the experiences of both performers and audiences. She currently works in higher education and collaborates on research projects focused on disability arts and audience access. SHOW NOTES The History in 60 Podcast is the official companion to the television series History in 60 on AMI Television. While the series highlights key moments in Canada’s disability history, the podcast creates space to go deeper, exploring the research, context, and lived experience behind those stories. In this episode, we turn to dance. For many, dance is associated with symmetry, uniformity, and technical precision. For decades, those assumptions shaped who was welcomed into studios and onto stages. Disabled bodies were often excluded, not because they lacked artistry, but because definitions of technique were narrow and inaccessible. Inclusive and disability-led dance has fundamentally challenged that framework. Through experimentation, collaboration, and persistence, disabled artists have expanded movement vocabularies, developed new pedagogies, and asserted that access itself is an artistic practice. This work did not emerge by accident. It was built intentionally, often in spaces not originally designed for disabled performers. In the television episode, we examine how disabled dancers reshaped performance culture by forming disability-led companies, redefining technique on their own terms, and embedding access directly into choreography and staging. The show highlights how artists honor disability history, sustain creative lineages, and position disabled bodies as central to the artistic landscape.  John and Dr. Kelsie Acton unpack what it truly takes to build an inclusive dance space, one grounded in clearly articulated values, intentional boundaries, and disability-led leadership rather than broad claims of universality. They explore the evolution of language in the field, from inclusive to mixed-ability to disability-led dance, reflecting shifting cultural conversations and a growing emphasis on agency and authorship. References in this Episode: CRIPSiE Battersea Arts Centre Tourette’sHero Critical Design Lab Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Remote Access Archive Stopgap Dance Company Flatfoot Dance Company National accessArts Centre To Learn More about Dr Acton’s Work: Staff Profile Critical Design Lab Credits: John Loepkky Host & Creator Dr Kelsie Acton, Guest Brent Kawchuk, Co Producer Cali James, Metamorphosis Media Group, Co Producer & Narrator Podcast Studio Camera: Daylen Hartz & Kody Ng Kade Stevens, KS Media, Editor If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the History in 60 Companion Podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who might appreciate the conversation. Your support helps more people discover these stories and the history behind them. 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