Energy for life

Twenty-three-year-old Kyiv native Ilona SLUHOVINA has never resigned herself to her disease. At the age of three she began to feel unbearable pain in her legs. Doctors found a tumor on her spine but failed to diagnose the disease. After two unsuccessful operations Ilona could no longer walk. Refusing to give up, she decided to use every opportunity to make a splash in the world. Thanks to her determination and perseverance, she has achieved fantastic success in wheelchair dance sport. Ilona shares some of her secrets with The Day’s readers.

“DANCING IS MY CHILDHOOD DREAM”

Ilona always dreamed of dancing. After leaving school, she decided to try her luck and applied to the Berezil wheelchair dancing club. “I remember two boys signing up with me. After a while they gave up and left the dancing classes. But I didn’t succumb to this temptation and continued training,” she says. “A year later my first partner Oleksii Rohulin and I took part in the European championship in St. Petersburg. You won’t believe it, but we came third in combi-style dancing (with an able-bodied partner). Our choreographers — Olena Chyzh, Daria Alfiorova, and Iryna Katyrlo — were shocked. Since then we have been winning prizes almost everywhere. We won second place at the 2002 championship in Poland, we won the gold two years later in Japan, and brought another gold medal back from the Netherlands in 2006. But I won that prize with a different partner, Oleksandr Ivanov.”

DESIGNING A FASHION COLLECTION IS HER SECRET DREAM

Ilona usually trains twice a week. She thinks long breaks in between training are undesirable because you can get out of shape fast, and then you have to go back to square one. The foxtrot is Ilona’s favorite dance: it is both fast and slow, and it reminds her of chewing gum.

“Although my European program includes only five dances — the tango, waltz, slow waltz, foxtrot, and quickstep — I always have to be prepared because during a competition we must satisfy the same requirements as athletes with legs,” Ilona explains. “Unfortunately, sometimes judges evaluate not just the dance but the outfit. One dance costume costs about 500 dollars. Luckily, we receive assistance from Invosport, a state-run organization that funds our performances.”

Ilona is guided by the principles she outlined for herself at the very outset of her career. “I try to be strong and irreplaceable, although some people deny the existence of such people. I always strive to achieve my goals. I think I have almost realized myself in sport. I wish wheelchair dancing were considered a separate sport in this country because it deserves this status, like basketball, soccer, or hockey,” Ilona emphasizes. “But dancing is a far more radiant show and it gives you a shot of adrenaline.”

Her many awards give her the hope that one day her name will be part of sports history. She is still going to compete for titles and prizes, but sooner or later the time will come to say goodbye to her career. Since she has been an avid painter since childhood, she is dreaming of producing her own fashion collection and opening a design studio.

Ilona is a five-time winner of the Wheelchair Dance Sport World Cup. In November she will be representing Ukraine at the European Championship in Poland. Then she plans to “torment” her coaches for a few years more.

“How long Ilona will continue with the sport depends only on her,” says choreographer Daria Alfiorova, “but in any case I will support her, since I now see that she is not a bashful girl who is taking her first cautious steps on the parquet but a purposeful lady who will overcome any obstacles. I always try to meet such people halfway.”

The secret of Ilona’s success is simple and feasible: self-confidence, industriousness, and determination. And her love of dancing is the source from which she draws energy for life.

COMMENTARY

Svitlana LYPYNSKA, psychologist and art therapist at the Image Dance Center:

“More often than not, people with incurable diseases are considered ‘unconventional.’ But this is an incorrect and ungracious public attitude because everybody has the right to be happy. Unfortunately, our state is doing precious little for wheelchair-bound people: a lot of buildings, public institutions, and stores, let alone municipal transport, are not wheelchair-accessible. The handicapped will only feel that they are full-fledged people if they are cared for not only by the state and society but also by their friends and family. This helps them to be optimistic and go from losing their zest for life to a full revival. It is very important for such people not to fall into despair but be able to find other ways to realize their dreams. But only the strong-willed can restore themselves both physiologically and mentally.

“I know from experience that creative work can really help people recover their sense of life. Practicing a certain art, dancing for example, is very beneficial to one’s health and for restoring peace of mind. Even if an individual does not achieve any high results, dancing will help them harmonize their thoughts and regain a joyful spirit. Dancing is emotionally-colored movement, which is also the oldest form of communicating with oneself and society. Art also helps people come into their own as personalities, and it gives the physically handicapped a chance to reveal their inner world and fantasy. It is a language that everybody understands.

“Apart from dancing, there are many other effective art therapies. When an individual has drawn a picture, sung a song, or performed a dance, he or she gets into a better mood and has the feeling of being needed by other people. Dance movements also help restore sensitivity to limbs and allow you to stay in good physical shape. Sometimes a simple physical movement may be the only thing that brings a person back to life. I advise all those whom society considers ‘unconventional’ not to fall into depression and not lose hope. Every individual must find his or her artistic niche from which to obtain positive emotions.”