Can children in wheelchairs learn to dance? The Milwaukee Ballet certainly thinks so.

Nine-year-old Namine Eiche may be in a wheelchair, but that doesn't stop her from being a ballet dancer.

That's thanks to Tour de Force, a partnership between Milwaukee Ballet and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin that's been providing ballet classes to children with disabilities since 2014.

Just last year, the opportunity was opened up to children in wheelchairs through the "Glissade" class, very appropriately named since "glissade" is the French word for "glide."

How do children in wheelchairs dance?

Janel Meindersee, a Milwaukee Ballet dancer who teaches Glissade, explained how the children are able to dance.

"We teach a lot of the same things as a normal ballet class — how to spot your head when you move, the quality of arm movements, how to count music and how to stay in line when dancing together," Meindersee said.

Namine's mom, Jessica, said Namine, whose caudal regression syndrome causes her to have bowed femurs and club feet, was thrilled at the opportunity to take Glissade.

"She was taking dance at another dance school, and she enjoyed it, but everyone else was not in a wheelchair," Jessica said. "Being in a class full of other kids in wheelchairs is really a lot of fun for her."

Meindersee said that seeing kids in wheelchairs in other Tour de Force classes was the impetus for Glissade.

"There was a girl in a wheelchair coming to one of our other Tour de Force classes," Meindersee said. "She was able to get out of her wheelchair sometimes, but she was most comfortable in her chair. We thought there had to be other kids who can't even get out of their chairs at all, and our classes didn't really suit them. So we decided to take a risk."

The future is bright for these skilled dancers

That risk has paid off, and after having taught two sessions of Glissade, Meindersee is "blown away" by the skill, talent and strength of her students — especially when she gets in a wheelchair herself to try out the dance moves. She laughs with her students, pointing out that she's not as skilled in wheelchair maneuvers as her students are.

Although the concept of ballet in a wheelchair is new for many people, it's been around for awhile, even though it's not widespread yet. "There are some people doing it, and there are also a couple professional wheelchair dance companies, which is super cool," said Meindersee.

Jessica has heard the same thing, and thinks her daughter would be thrilled at the possibilities.

"At the beginning of the class, the kids had to say what their goal was for Glissade," Jessica said. "(Namine) said her goal was to keep dancing because she loves dancing so much. I think she would do it forever."