Meet Sophia Adzoa-Moore, a talented performer who defies the odds. Despite using crutches, she shines on stage and inspires others with her incredible journey.
London: Sophia Adzoa-Moore, 25, has been on crutches since 2013. One morning, she woke up unable to walk, and that changed everything for her.
She was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in July 2024. This condition causes her severe pain and fatigue, but it hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her dreams.
At 18, she almost gave up on performing to study backstage production. She thought dancing on crutches would be impossible. But she decided to apply to dance colleges instead.
In 2020 and 2021, she got accepted into the Performance Preparation Academy in Guildford. Since then, she hasn’t looked back and has been thriving.
Sophia, a musical theatre performer from Tower Hamlets, London, says she feels the eyes on her when she enters a dance class. But she knows she’s good at what she does.
“Sometimes being different gets me in the room,” she says. “But that means I’m representing disability.” She’s proud of her talent and her musical theatre degree.
Sophia has starred in the West End production of Billy Elliot. She started dancing at three and landed her first big role at ten. She always dreamed of being a professional dancer.
But at 13, everything changed when she woke up unable to walk due to hip pain. Her mom took her to the doctor, but it took time to get the right diagnosis.
After months of tests, she finally had surgery on her hip. For a while, she could walk normally again. But the pain returned, and she was back on crutches.
Over the next six years, she had multiple surgeries and relapses. By the time she reached university age, she realized she might need crutches for life.
Initially, she enrolled in a backstage production program but dropped out after three weeks. She knew she wanted to be on stage, not behind the scenes.
During the pandemic, she took online dance classes and thought, “Who’s going to tell me I can’t dance on crutches?” She started sending audition tapes to dance universities.
She got accepted into PPA and graduated in July 2024. Despite her success, she still battles imposter syndrome as a disabled dancer.
Even now, she worries that people think she was only accepted because of her disability. To combat this, she practices daily affirmations to boost her confidence.
In October, she performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and had an amazing time. But she still felt like she was there just because of her disability.
Despite her fears, Sophia has proven herself wrong. She believes the sky is the limit for her now. She dreams of going on UK tours, doing movie musicals, and even dancing for Beyoncé.
“Trolls tell me I’m only half a dancer,” she says. “But I can move really fast on my crutches.” She’s determined to chase her dreams, whether it’s a movie musical or Broadway.
