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MEET THE ROLLETTES TEAM
TRAILBLAZING WITH DANCE
These women have created a community that redefines what it means to be strong, female, and resilient. With dance, community outreach, education programs and content creation, they dazzle and push the boundaries that others place in the way.
ROLLETTES
MISSION STATEMENT
Women Empowering Women with Disabilities to Live Boundlessly and Shift Perspectives Through Dance.
CHELSIE HILL
@chelsie Hill
Hi, I'm Chelsie and I'm a professional dancer, community leader, content creator, and Founder/CEO of Rollettes, a Los Angeles based wheelchair dance team that’s committed to education, disability representation, and female empowerment.
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While adjusting to my new reality post-injury, I wanted to meet other young women like me and make friends. In 2012, I got on my social media and invited six women to my hometown of Monterey, CA to put on a performance in front of friends, family, and the local community. With rehearsals, sleepovers, and a lot of girl time, we bounded over the few days and became a team. That’s how the Rollettes were founded! I am so honored to have partnered with some amazing brands like Aerie, Target, Love Beauty and Planet, Wells Fargo, Clorox, Tommy Hilfiger, Athleta, GymShark, Reebok, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Together with my team, we have built the largest network of women with disabilities across the USA and around the world.
CONNER LUNDIUS
@connerlundius
Conner Lundius has been a dancer since the age of 5. She danced competitively for almost a decade, and continued to dance through college. At the age of 22, she was injured in a car crash, and sustained a L2 spinal cord injury. It was then that she found the Rollettes and decided to keep dancing! Since 2019, Conner has been dancing and choreographing for the Rollettes dance team. She currently serves as Team Captain and Content & Marketing Director for Rollettes. Conner also is an Associate Producer of Rollettes Experience and Boundless Talent Showcase.
In addition to her roles within Rollettes, Conner is a content creator, and recognizes the power that social media holds. On social media platforms, Conner strives to motivate other women with disabilities to be their most confident selves through expression of dress. She recognizes that there is a tremendous amount of pressure for women to look and act a certain way, and wants all women to feel powerful and authentically themselves.
MARIA RABAINO
@mariarabaino
Maria Rabaino grew up in Sacramento, CA. She lived a relatively average life with her family involved in Cheer, and Theatre. February 13, 2012 Maria was in a drinking and driving car crash that paralyzed her at the L1 level. Soon after her injury, Maria met one of her best friends Chelsie Hill. Chelsie invited Maria to a week-long dance camp where she could meet other women in wheelchairs and get advice on how to live an independent life as a woman in a wheelchair.
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Maria’s first year as a wheelchair user flew by. She gained back a little bit of leg movement, met the love of her life, gained her independence back, relearned how to drive and moved to Monterey. Everything moved so fast that she never stopped to think about what she wanted to do. Slowly falling into a depression Maria started to gain weight. Maria eventually grew tired of being unhappy and realized she was happiest whenever she was actively dancing with the team. So Maria started to workout just to become happy again. During the start of her fitness journey Maria realized how inaccessible fitness was. She struggled to find workouts that worked with her abilities and started to share how she adapted workouts until she found what worked. Maria grew passionate about making health and fitness more accessible and continued finding new ways to adapt fitness.
Through the support of her friends, family, and the Rollettes, Maria became a certified personal trainer and is currently working on specializing in Corrective Exercises and Exercise Therapy so she can continue to motivate even more people to live healthier and happier lives as she teaches them how to make fitness work for their abilities and lifestyle.
JOCI SCOTT
@jociscott
SAMANTHA LOPEZ
@ohsamnicole
Samantha Lopez is from Riverside, California. In 2012, at just 17 years old, she fell from a 3 story apartment window, and now has a T12 spinal cord injury. Samantha felt a strong urge to build connections and friendships after her injury, and soon found Chelsie Hill and the Rollettes. She joined in 2014, and although dance was never something that she ever thought she would pursue, it’s become something she loves to do. For Sam, being a part of the Rollettes is an unforgettable journey and a reminder to always take chances in life.
When she’s not dancing with the Rollettes, Sam enjoys testing out new products in the beauty industry. She has a passion for skincare and makeup, and hopes to one day be an aesthetician. Sam hopes to empower other disabled women in the Latin community to be boundless, and never give up on their dreams.
EDNA SERRANO
@ednaserranooficial
Edna Serrano is from San Diego, CA. When she was born, Edna was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma tumor on the right side of her back. At only one month old, she underwent her first of many surgeries and the prognosis, which caused the tumor to affect her T-7 spinal cord vertebrae. With limited mobility, the use of a wheelchair has always been a challenge. Edna never let her limitations define her. She learned from a early age how to be strong, be a survivor, and to set goals beyond anyone’s expectations.
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While dreaming big dreams, she has always felt a love for dancing. Her biggest aspiration is to show others that living life to the fullest is achievable for anyone, no matter what obstacles you may face. Edna’s motto for life-long success is to always believe in yourself!
Joci Scott joined the Rollettes in 2021 as a Lil Sis and was brought on full time in 2022. Dance and performing has been a huge part of Joci’s life since she was three, and she has spent the better part of her life on a stage. She became paralyzed by sustaining a T12 spinal cord injury when her family survived a plane crash in July of 2019. Despite not seeing people using wheelchairs in her favorite movies and TV shows, Joci was determined to follow her dream of being an actress. Just days after her two month hospital stay, Joci found herself back onstage in a community theater production and fast-tracked her way in the art of wheelchair dance. After finding the Rollettes, she found a passion for inspiring other women and girls like her to be boundless and reach for their dreams. Since then, she has been motivated to pursue acting and advocate for better representation in entertainment for people with disabilities. She has partnered with brands like Target, Amazon, UGG, and Abercrombie, and is in the process of producing and starring in an original short film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Alex and their cat Luna.
DANIKA WHITSETT
@danikawhitsett
From Washington state, Danika Whitsett was a tri-sport athlete for the majority of her life. Her passion was volleyball, and through sports she learned how much she loved being a part of a team. In 2018, Danika was injured in a car accident and sustained a T12 spinal cord injury.
Danika joined the Rollettes as a Lil Sis in 2022, and became a full time team member in early 2023. She lives in San Diego with her partner, 2 cats, and dog. Danika’s passions include traveling, thrill seeking, and keeping up with pop culture.
More recently, Danika is in the process of launching a podcast. Her goal is to spread awareness about the disability community by those that she interviews, and speak on topics such as wheelchair life and mental health. She believes that serious topics of life should be approached, but there’s also so much fun to life as well. Danika wants to spread joy through everyone she meets, and chase it too.
