Visually Impaired Dancers Express Support for Blind Strictly Finalist

Dancers experiencing sight loss have described a blind contestant’s advancement to the final of Strictly Come Dancing as a “proud moment,” expressing hope that it will motivate individuals to overcome personal limitations. Comedian Chris McCausland has secured his place in the upcoming weekend’s grand finale, competing alongside Love Island personality Tasha Ghouri, actress Sarah Hadland, and JLS vocalist JB Gill. Throughout his 12-week journey with professional dance partner Dianne Buswell, McCausland stated his aspiration that his participation would “go some way in stretching people’s ideas of what is possible for a person with disabilities.” Bethan Daniels, whose sight began to diminish due to complications from Type 1 diabetes, characterized the achievement as “massively inspirational and very motivating.” The 29-year-old dance instructor from Newport had to abruptly adjust to losing her vision after burst blood vessels were discovered behind her eyes, and she has undergone seven surgical procedures to date. “It was really hard. I struggled for a couple of months,” she said. “They originally thought my sight could be saved, but it’s progressively got worse.” She added, “But I’m stubborn, and I decided I wouldn’t let it stop me.” Daniels commenced dancing at a young age, receiving training in musical theatre and performing in London, in addition to teaching ballet and tap. “Whether you’re teaching, or learning, or performing on a stage, you just get this buzz. It’s like a fix, it keeps you going,” she remarked. “I always used to be a visual learner, I could watch choreography and pick it up.” She continued, “That’s been taken away from me. Now it all has to be described to me, which is a whole new way of learning, but it’s improved me as a dancer in other ways.” She noted the presence of “incredible” individuals who assisted her in adapting. Bethan further explained, “A lot of it for me has been muscle memory, I rely on that a lot.” Regarding teaching, she stated, “Teaching has been a really interesting one for me as well. I can demonstrate absolutely fine, but when they get stuck, I can’t see to help them.” Bethan mentioned that while she personally could not see Chris McCausland dance, she was pleased to learn that his sight loss had not impeded him. “Everyone says you wouldn’t be able to tell he was visually impaired. It also proves that just because you have any disability, you can still do stuff,” she affirmed. Anum Munawar, 35, who instructs Bollywood dance in Cardiff, shared that her passion for it originated during her childhood in Malaysia. “While my sister would put Bollywood movies on, I would dance to it,” she recalled. As a teenager, she choreographed and performed a routine at her sister’s wedding. “I think, from there, the passion for dancing really started,” she commented. “I had a knack of picking up the lyrics of a song and choreographing to that.” Anum, who lives with cone-rod dystrophy (CORD) and colour blindness, first experienced vision loss around the age of eight, and her sight has progressively worsened and changed at various intervals since. “Sight loss is unique for different people but, for me, balance is quite an issue, depth perception, spatial awareness,” she explained. She added, “And in Bollywood dance, there is a lot of spinning.” Among the adjustments she has implemented are increased hand usage and keeping choreography “simple, but still graceful and with that essence of dance.” She noted that Bollywood dancers are renowned for wearing vibrant colours, which she cannot perceive, adding with a laugh: “My mum still picks out my costumes.” Anum expressed that this year’s Strictly “feels like a victory, whether or not Chris wins.” Kirsty James, from Caerphilly, rediscovered her enthusiasm for dance after her vision deteriorated. The 35-year-old has a rare form of Stargardt’s Syndrome, and her sight loss commenced gradually but has experienced “big dips” over the years. She pursued performing arts at a college for visually impaired individuals, subsequently studying dance at university. “In my early twenties was when I woke up and my life did change. I had to adapt to a lot of things,” she recounted. “The confidence went in university then, when I was around people who were a lot higher level than me and I had to work so much harder. It took its toll on my confidence.” She continued, “I wasn’t able to accept that I could no longer see and ask for help, I hid it a lot.” Kirsty participated in “Dare to Dance,” a show by Strictly professional Amy Dowden, describing it as an “incredible experience” that helped reignite her love for dance. “A part of my life that I shut the door on with such negativity and anger, turned into something so positive and beautiful. I still dance every week now and it’s part of my identity,” she stated. Kirsty voiced her hope that Strictly would encourage other individuals with disabilities to pursue hobbies. Ansley Workman, director of the charity RNIB Cymru, affirmed that all the people she collaborates with would be supporting Chris McCausland in the final. “His participation has shown that representation on screen is a powerful way to challenge people’s ideas of what blind and partially-sighted people can and can’t do,” she declared.