Music and the Mirror (& Mobility Aids): Advocating for Disability Inclusion in Theater

Dancer Makenzie Morgan Gomez in a lunge posing with her cane.
Makenzie Morgan Gomez. Photo by Shani Hajian Photography

“I describe myself as a Mexican-American, queer and dynamically disabled professional theater artist.”

So says Makenzie Morgan Gomez, who spent years falling into the trap of trying to fit into what she thought she needed to be or look like for the industry to take notice. Now in her thirties, she wants to be seen for all of the pieces of her identity that make her unique.

“I know I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m hoping my authenticity will connect me with those that align with what I’m all about,” Gomez says. “The intersectionality of my identities informs how I navigate the world and therefore informs how I approach a character. Lately, my primary focus has been to highlight my disabled identity in my video projects to show viewers what’s possible when I say I’m dynamically disabled and rotate between multiple mobility aids. It can be hard for some people to imagine, so it’s important that I show it in my art.”

And that’s exactly what she’s done with her latest project, “Music and the Mirror (& Mobility Aids),” a reinterpretation of “The Music and the Mirror” from the Pulitzer-prize-winning musical “A Chorus Line.” Gomez learned the original Broadway choreography with the assistance of Cassidy Stoner before adapting each section to the mobility aid that worked best for her body.

“As my Off-Broadway debut play came to a close, I knew I wanted my next project to be dance-focused and that I wanted to incorporate all of my mobility aids,” Gomez says, explaining that most of the disabled dancers on social media are wheelchair users. “The discussions from the start were about the best approach to ensure all my aids were used in the video.”

Makenzie Morgan Gomez performing dance in a wheelchair on stage.

Viewers will notice she used a wheelchair, cane and crutches throughout the video, and her followers on social media might be fans of her service dog, Tilly, who excels at posing for a step and repeat.

Although her favorite part of creating the video was the sense of satisfaction when an adaptation matched the dynamics of the original choreography without losing its integrity, the main challenge she faced was fear.

“I was afraid my vision for this video concept piece wouldn’t be understood,” Gomez shares. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to learn the whole piece. I was afraid I would pour my heart and soul into the project only for it to go unnoticed. I’m glad to say none of my fears came true! But rehearsing and filming with that fear in the back of my mind was certainly a challenge to combat.”

What audiences don’t see is the work it took to get here. After dancing professionally for over a decade, the onset of autoimmune disorder symptoms and chronic musculoskeletal pain struck. She describes being undiagnosed and passed around from specialist to specialist as feeling incredibly isolating and scary.

“Prior to finding the disability community online, I had no idea people with symptoms like mine existed,” Gomez says. “Once I began discovering the disabled dancer niche, everything changed for me mentally. Seeing what others made possible with their disabled bodies encouraged me to get back to dance and learn what was possible on my own.”

Diagnosing and treating her autoimmune disease was the first step of many on her journey that led to creating this video.

Photo shoot with Makenzie Morgan Gomez on a stool with a green backdrop.
Photo by Shani Hajian Photography

“The most challenging symptom of my disabilities is that my leg will randomly go numb, affecting my ability to walk unassisted,” Gomez says. “When this first began happening, I feared it meant my career was over. Then, I realized my career was only over if I refused to learn to adapt. The only way I’d get back to dance and my life pursuing theater would be to embrace my mobility aids. This whole process has shown me how much I truly love my art! I’ve also learned to recognize and embrace my innate drive to educate and advocate for inclusion.”

She hopes that casting directors, creative teams and fellow performers will be inspired to explore disability-informed artistry moving forward. She says, “I’d love for the industry to become more accessible, and I hope to play a part in influencing that change. I want theater to reflect the diversity we see in our day-to-day lives.”

That’s why she is launching a new business called Creative Adaptations, LLC, which aims to empower professional theater makers to be disability-informed allies and adaptive creators and collaborators.

“I am so excited to roll out our first round of offerings in 2025!” Gomez says, directing anyone interested to creativeadaptations.co for more information. “Aside from that, back to auditioning I go. This will be my first audition season with an agent representing me, so I’m excited to see how it goes.”

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