18 year-old Uriah grew up helping Kiera, age 20, adapt after a childhood illness resulted in the amputation of Kiera's hands and legs just one month after Uriah was born.
"You really have to see them to believe it," says filmmaker and dancer Susan Hess Logeais. "Kiera can move in ways that are incredibly powerful and graceful, and Uriah is an expressive and talented dancer on her own. But when you see the two of them dance together, you see everything: the struggle, the bond, the joy, the frustration, the mutual love. It's truly overpowering to watch, and audiences respond pretty intensely."
This one-of-a-kind connection will be on display at a special dance concert on Monday April 21st at the Newmark Theater in Portland.
Along with other local dance groups, the sisters will reprise their popular duet together which was first performed 2 years ago. Titled "Soar," the duet was choreographed by Melissa St. Clair, who originally invited Hess Logeais to film the performance with the hope that a documentary film would result.
The event will serve as the finale for the documentary Hess Logeais has been producing and directing, also called "Soar."
The film chronicles the bond between the girls as they grow up and seek to define themselves as artists and sisters, together and separately.
Hess Logeais is currently fundraising to help pay for the event and finish her film, which she hopes will be eye-opening and inspiring. "We want to change people's ideas about what is possible," she says. "For all of us, but especially for the millions of people living with alternate abilities, Kiera shows us what happens when you challenge your limitations. That's a message I would love to share with as many people as possible."
The 60-minute SOAR documentary is more than 50 percent complete. The concert will be the finale/exclamation point of this inspiring film.
To find out more about "Soar," the film, and see some powerful footage of the sisters' dance, visit the Soar Kickstarter campaign at www.kickstarter.com/projects/366539914/soar-documentary-and-dance-concert
Kiera, Uriah and Susan are hoping that the disabled community will join the "Soar" community and support their efforts.
Cite:
House, van, personal loans, sources and information for singles, seniors, low income families, and disabled.
Chart of health and disability awareness ribbon colors including their associated causes and meaning.