'The Voice' Crowns Its Winner
Your Summer Roundup Of Reality-TV Ridiculousness
Dancing is one activity Kiera Brinkley "shouldn't" be able to do.
In a wheelchair since a quadruple amputation at age 2, the 16-year-old has nonetheless stricken the word "disability" from her vocabulary to pursue a dance career. Recently she proved just how able she is by performing at Juilliard, the prestigious New York City arts school.
Why We Love Her: As a toddler, Brinkley, of Portland, Ore., contracted an infection called pneumococcosis and lost her arms and legs. That didn't stop her from learning to love to dance, especially to R&B music. While she's worked with coaches, she usually choreographs her own routines, which include some pretty intense acrobatic moves.
Aug 19th 2009 By Lauren Fritsky
Super Woman -- Kiera Brinkley, Quadruple Amputee Dancer
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Saturday 22 August
By Emi
This is really interesting. On the one hand, she's invented a new dance form and choreography that only she can reproduce. On the other hand, the perception of her performance will probably involve a bit of a sideshow feeling, unfortunately. It's hard to escape that. But she's very graceful and inventive.
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Wednesday 19 August
By Myriad
Really amazing, she's doing so well, I wish more people had an attitude like she does. Cool dancing, too; she's got tons of rhythm.
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Tuesday 25 August
By ANDREW
seriouslt she is very taleted because god blessed her with an amazing talent to dance even when she is disabled. i think she has inspired a lot of other disabled people to have hope and to try harder : ] very awesome : ]
Thursday 20 August
By jim
She's awesome...wait until Twyla Tharp gets hold of this!
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Friday 21 August
By Darrell
To see that a physically hadicapped person is using her handicap as a benefit to what she loves to do is something that should amaze all people, whther they're handicapped or not,
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Friday 21 August
By Jane
Kiera, you express such joy through your dancing. You are an inspiration to all. God bless you and best wishes for great success in dance.
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Saturday 22 August
By dd
i'm with you, it's incredible that she would turn what most of us would consider a challenge into an art, have a great day,
Friday 21 August
By Jane
Kiera, you express such joy and beauty through your dancing. God bless you.
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Friday 21 August
By Annette
She is beautiful...She loves to dance and she is very good ...She can be a big inspiration to anyone..
God bless her....
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Friday 21 August
By Angie
As Wayne Dyer says "Excuses begone!"
Awesome
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Friday 21 August
By Peggy M.
My sister, once a beautiful and outgoing teacher, feels sorry for herself and has willed herself to die. Ttime and her own actions in life have have left her with all kinds of debilitations. She should have this young lady's outlook on life, now more than ever.
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Monday 24 August
By Mair
Kiera is amazing .
Now What happened to your sister? Was she brutally asaulted or something? Does she have a B vitamin deficiency? B vitamin deficiencies is most of the time misdiagnosed by Doctors as depression or mental illness. If she has not been checked for this deficiency please have her tested and they must check the intrinsic factor along with. Another thing is her hormones could very well be out of balance. If she was once vibrant something had to happen to throw her into the situation you describe her in now. I pray that she will get better or find the help needed.
Sunday 23 August
By Shayna
Alas, not all have courage as this young lady does. You shouldn't be too hard on her. She has inner demons (by which I mean in sense of depression, not demonic demons in sense of little, red, horned men, lol) that she has to overcome. Be kind too her and possibly pass this article along to her, although it might be offensive it may help her. I know first hand how, for lack of a better word, irrritating, obnoxious, and frustrating it is at times to see a person in her condition giving up on life. She must either face it and move forward with her life accepting the way her life has turned out or succumb to the feeling of hopelessness, we all choose the former, of course. This is her choice, no matter what you say to her, she will decide what she will decide. Try to understand and to treat her with kindness. Only time will tell what will happen. Suicide is a hard concept for people to understand, so most people deal with it in fear and/or hate. Emotional pain sometimes leaves more severe and lasting scars then physical pain. This depression will live with her for the rest of her life. She will constantly have to face it everyday, but there are steps and options to take for her to continue a happy, successful life. She has to decide this for herself. She will need support and maybe a person to tell her it will be ok. "Depression hurts. Who does depression hurt? Everyone." So cliche and corny, but truth.
Friday 21 August
By charlene
My brother, Homer Avila, had his own dance company with Edisa Weeks and lost his right leg and hip to cancer, however, continued to dance to the day he died. What a remarkable individual he was and what a remarkable individual this young lady is! You can "google" or "bing" Homer Avila and read all about him....
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Friday 21 August
By Judie Cottrell
You are a true inspiration to so many of us, disregard the ugly comments and foul language of sme people, shame on them, they need to get a life.
Love and Prayers
Jerry and Judie
John 3:16 and james 5.16
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Friday 21 August
By Pesanti
The Creator has many angels to let us know that life is worth living. Thank You for being one of them!
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Friday 21 August
By Sydney
This just goes to show you can do anything you put your mind to :] Im very glad she is pursueing dance and I hope she keeps it up.
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Friday 21 August
By peaches
thats soooooooo GREAT !!!!! Keep going and going and going just like the battery..Show all that it CAN be DONE>>>>>>>>
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Sunday 23 August
By cleshunda
you have insiperd me GOD bless u
and tell tha haters to leave u alone because
u doing something with yo life *_*
Saturday 22 August
By V. Fawn Lagnefors
This is such an inspiration, I think she is an incredible young woman! I personally feel inspired by her, I just got treatment for a pinched nerve, this encourages me to try and more physical!
You go baby girl!!!!
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