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Auti Angel, paralyzed in 1992, was one of the first wheelchair dancers to grace the planet. A rising hip-hop dancer before her injury, she applied her dance skills to moves she could do sitting down, and went on to create wheelchair hip-hop dance. Read on for her story.
Why She’s Fearless
It was 1992 when Auti confronted the reality of no longer being able to walk and possibly never dance again, the true love of her life. She grew up in the self-described “hood” of Torrance, California where she learned to dance and went to NYC at age 18 to dance for LL Cool J. But when she was 22, everything changed when a car cut her off while she was behind the wheel.
After becoming a T12 paraplegic and going through rough years post-injury, Auti found the confidence to modify the dance moves she could still do, and found new moves that took advantage of her wheelchair. After getting her dance moves figured out, Auti competed in the World Championship of Performing Arts in 2002 (an invitation-only yearly competition for actors, dancers and singers) and won Gold for Dancing. She’s been known as the “world’s first wheelchair hip-hop dancer” since.
After winning the World Championship of Performing Arts, Auti has owned the wheelchair dance scene. She’s been in music videos, including the video “Move Yo Body.” She also founded the wheelchair hip-hop dance group, Colours’n Motion Dancers, and she danced and performed with Ludacris at the 2003 Vibe Awards. Auti was also cast in Musical Chairs in 2011, a film that showed the world of wheelchair ballroom dancing.
And in 2012-2013, she was on a reality show showcasing women with spinal cord injuries, Push Girls, where she shared her marriage and fertility journey. After being in a number of documentaries and shorts the following years, Auti decided to film her own documentary in 2022, My Next Breath.
What Happened Next?
Auti continued to dance years after her injury, performing whenever she could, often with her friends Chelsie and Mia. Auti also made a profound difference in the lives of thousands when she demoed wheelchair dance at the Abilities Expo for several years, showing those young and old what wheelchair dance was capable of.
Sadly in late 2021, Auti was diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease her mother passed away from, and in January 2022, she was told the cancer had spread. After a hard-fought battle, Auti passed away on March 23rd, 2022. The spinal cord injury community will never be the same without her, and because of her, we know how to dance. What a beautiful gift she gave us while she was here. We love you Auti. Thank you for gracing us with your enormous spirit.
ideas@spinalpedia.com
