‘I’m thrilled for her’: Saskatoon wheelchair dancer heads to world stage

A Saskatoon dancer is proving that passion and perseverance can redefine what dance looks like. Carla Shynkaruk reports.

With more than two decades of experience, Sheri-Lynn Turgeon is proving that passion and perseverance can redefine what dance looks like.

From her first moves at just age three, Turgeon found her rhythm early and never missed a beat.

“Yeah, I just… I love what I’m able to do. It’s a lot of fun. It’s my main source of activity,” Turgeon told CTV News.

Her journey has taken her across Canada and even to New York City, where she trained and expanded her craft, showing that dance is about individuality and standing out.

“A lot of people think that because you’re disabled, you can’t do dance… or you’re meant to be in a care home or whatever,” Turgeon said.

“And I’m like, no — you can do whatever you put your mind to.”

Over the years, she has performed at major events including Telemiracle, film festivals, fashion runways and competitive stages, challenging perceptions every step of the way.

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One moment at a competition still stands out.

“All you hear is the adjudicator just gasp when I went on stage… and then by the end she’s like, ‘I’m crying,’” Turgeon recalled.

On the international stage, Turgeon has made history. At the Dance World Cup, she didn’t just compete, she excelled, earning gold three times and becoming the only wheelchair dancer to ever qualify, she said.

Now, she’s heading back to the world stage once again, qualifying for the Worlds in Quebec this July.

At 32, she competes in the adult category.

Her dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m thrilled for her. Sheri works so hard, and she is always at the studio,” Dance Ink ballet director Raeann Hydamaka said.

Turgeon is also giving back, teaching in Saskatoon and helping others with physical or other challenges find their own confidence through dance.

“She inspires kids who are watching her on stage and in class every day… that you can move and you can dance,” Hydamaka added.

Her performances often spark curiosity — not just about what she does, but how she does it.

“People just generally ask me, like, ‘How do you do it? You’re in a chair.’ And I say — you just adapt the movements."

For Sheri-Lynn Turgeon, dance isn’t about limitations, it’s about expression, resilience and rewriting expectations.

She’s not sitting on the sidelines, but is taking centre stage and dancing to her own beat.