Belarus (Minsk) Dancers Hanna Harchakova (Anna) and Ihar Kisialiou (Igor) Visit Tampa Florida with Merry Lynn Morris

Belarus  (Minsk) Dancers Anna & Igor Visit Tampa Florida with
Merry Lynn Morris & REVolutions Dance at USF

Visiting Dancers from Belarus, (Minsk) contacted me as they toured the U.S and we collaborated in a beautiful class at USF with REVolutions Dance Company in Tampa, Florida.    (See video below.)

Belarus, (Minsk) Dancers with Merry Lynn Morris at USF
Tampa, Florida

A Belarus Project, brought to you by World Partnerships & the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.

  ( https://youtu.be/cK1dt02MVwM ). 

It was a great pleasure recently meeting visitors from Belarus who are leaders of various disability organizations. We discussed arts and disability programming and opportunities for collaboration. A particular highlight was having Hanna Harchakova, a wheelchair ballroom dance champion, teach a class to the REVolutions Dance students and also participate in the class I taught. A special thanks to the assistants who joined us in the class, Sharon, Laura, Takema and Cara as well as the individuals from Pyramid, Inc. and the parents who were there! This delegation is hosted by World Partnerships, Inc. (www.WorldPartnerships.org), since 2000 the official St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay regional partner of the US Department of State “International Visitor Leadership Program” (IVLP).

The sponsorship of the US Department of State "International Visitor Leadership Program" (IVLP)... is such an impressive act to consider worldwide disabilities and disability in general. As I mentioned at the end of the video segment, "Disability is the one minority that you (everyone) will join if you live long enough."... may we always join the leadership to create the avenues which enable us all!

Beautiful Collaborations ! And to explore the idea of an exchange degree at USF with one of your students !.... I am looking forward to so much more! *

With Love,

Merry Lynn Morris

* on October 14-17, 2015 an incredible collaborative concert at USF Tampa Florida is in the works wiith a grant from the NEA (National Endowments for the Arts) which  I applied for in collaboration with VSA Florida / The State Organization on Arts and Disability. - This concert and workshop will include INTERNATIONAL DANCE ARTISTS with worldwide recognition....(note - I will update here the poster link and bios of all participating ... which will include: Belarus Dancers Anna & Igor.)..... 

VSA Florida Presents Scott MacIntyre

I serve on the Board of Directors for VSA Florida (Very Special Arts) and I am so excited that we brought Scott MacIntyre (the first blind finalist on American Idol) - to USF for a performance 10/18/2013! And, especially grateful to REVolutions Dance for donating as a sponsor for this event!

With Love and Appreciation!

Merry Lynn Morris

An evening you won't want to miss that includes an exhibition of tactile artwork by Horst Mueller, a concert by Scott MacIntyre, the first blind finalist on American Idol and an opportunity to show your support for VSA Florida.

http://t.co/UHCeVpdC4o

Seated Art Museum Tour !

Our very first tour .... with mobility / accessibility awareness. And, we got to do this with Sandra Sroka, ADA Liaison for Hillsborough County! She ended up trying the hands-free prototype chair, also..... Thank you Sandra for your encouragement and support! We had a great afternoon with you and appreciate your efforts!

This is the second time at the USF Contemporary Art Museum. And, this time ..... the new construction had been all completed. It looked great! We will be going again in November for the Carlos Garaicoa exhibit "Making Amends".... hope to see you there! / Merry Lynn Morris

http://www.twitvid.com/XZHFZ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNwIUdT0hA

Art / Museum Tours in Hands-Free Chairs

We put together this video for a conference on Art & Museum accessibility for disabled ....a LEAD Conference in Minneapolis (Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability). The patent on our chair just was fully approved. More upgrades are in the works.

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This video shows a hands-free model as one could tour an art gallery, work on a computer station or otherwise utilize (disabled or not) ..... a sit-down / hands-free "work" chair which mimics human hovering & natural (weight pulling) interaction with others. The options are really as endless as our imagination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1QfOiqonFo or http://www.twitvid.com/JZ3IC

{NOTE: The Honda video below is only as a comparative industry - one by Japanese innovation ..... they also see touring an art gallery as a possibility & example! Their engineering uses the Segway-type inner gyroscope mechanism which we originally experimented with & still do. It uses a wheel-within-a-wheel approach .... & allows for omni-direction as well the side-to-side motion we are trying to achieve for people of diverse body types and/or abilities seated rather than balancing.}

http://youtu.be/cuIJRsAuCHQ
It is very coincidental that we have video on some of our Museum tours ..... on some "hands-free""chairs.... with our unique chair design.... utilizing two dancers as models for the chairs. Although I am thrilled & thank the Lord for the Honda innovation!!! PTL! to get the mobility awareness & innovation out!..... Our dancers, models, & just regular folk... are sure a lot more comfortable!! I will be sharing these videos with everyone soon.

Love in our Lord,
His Sonshine & Merry Lynn

New Port Richey Library .............."Making A Diverse Community HUMAN ART SCULPTURE!"

We sure do have a lot of fun and love in seeing God's "Works of Art" ..... that would be children, and you, and me! This was at the New Port Richey Library in Florida. I was on the video camera while Merry Lynn Morris presented a Mixed-Ability Dance Presentation & Demonstration. Then, the audience was invited to interact with the Dancers. The result was a very diverse community HUMAN ART SCULPTURE..... of mixed ability, race, age......! PRAISE GOD!....... Love His Sonshine

{ http://www.twitvid.com/P6RKJ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0VRuAKq1oA }

ADA at MOSI Merry Lynn Morris & Dwayne Scheuneman Rehearsal

Segways & Wheelchairs & Prototypes & Rehearsals! At MOSI Museum of Science & Industry!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqAm3SPqFE or http://www.twitvid.com/QWVST

I Have to Add This

HANDS FREE FOR THE CAREGIVER, TOO! Praise God!

These things can really change lives & add incredible quality!

http://youtu.be/3xXhnJuPlV4
We had this in USA in 2004 & 2005 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcMrSABH474 or http://www.twitvid.com/BZZFM SEE BELOW

Dance Interaction Illusion by Merry Lynn Morris 2005

Wireless Joystick Following

Oh... by the way... the commercial video below is just ONE of the golf caddy wireless & all terrain, etc... been around for years & years & years.....Think of all the HUMAN TRANSPORT POSSIBILITIES..... PTL! & Thank God there are so many caring people trying to add quality, healing, health! Technology is also inspired by God to help a hurting world in so many ways. Praise God!
http://youtu.be/0qir0bUeDzs

Below is another WIRELESS Smart Wheelchair from 2006 By Cuitech (not us)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJF-TUrtS74
http://youtu.be/IJF-TUrtS74

Jazz in a Wheelchair - Merry Lynn Morris & John Parks

Professors Merry Lynn Morris & John Parks of the USF Dance Department demonstrate the prototype wheelchair to the big band music of "In the Mood" at the Marshall Center Ballroom for the Unstoppable USF Campaign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDvIV0AUd9g or http://www.twitvid.com/DGL69