Superhumans in WCS: Ania Niedziałek

When I meet someone in the dance community doing good work, with the intention of making the world a better place, I cannot keep it quiet. I want to share these superheroes with you.

Dance community — meet Ania Niedziałek.

This young woman from Poland, currently living in California, made my day and made me believe in good again.

Ania has a vision. Ania has a dream. Ania is bold. Ania is going to change the world. Ania is the light.

Besides being a beautiful dancer, she is also an engineer and a computer scientist.

Based on her current knowledge in STEM — biotechnology, engineering, programming, mathematics — she wants to design a computer-controlled robot. It would be used to teach proper movement mechanics and motor patterns to children after stroke and with cerebral palsy. Her vision is to improve the functioning of disabled children, and to support them as they regain mobility and independence.

Her other goal is to create a mentoring group for women with similar interests — a group whose aim would be to spread knowledge and motivation, and to make a space for freely sharing technological inspirations in a field still dominated by men.

So far, she has completed a project using Vicon motion capture, involving WCS dancers, to detect the differences in movement between dancers from different divisions and the movement anomalies that helped with quicker recoveries.

For Ania, WCS is a kind of enjoyable detachment from everyday life — and the most beautiful, artistic way to express her emotions.

Dear Ania — never give up your dreams. I am rooting for you. You will help so many people, and you will inspire others not to give up on theirs.

Please reach out to Ania Niedziałek if you want to collaborate, help, or learn from her, my friend. Great minds should work together.