Interview dance sport Flanders
1 on 1: Michèle Martens on dancing with blind dancers
Published on the website of Danssport Vlaanderen
Michèle Martens is the Managing Director of dance club Etage Tropical in Ghent. Together with one of her dancers, the blind Manuel, she participated in the TV program The Greatest Dancer. Unfortunately, their preselection was not broadcast on TV, but the preparations and recordings were still an incredible experience, during which, despite her extensive experience, Michèle learned a lot about teaching and dancing with blind people. We interviewed her about this.
How did you come up with the idea to participate in The Greatest Dancer?
We have previously participated in TV programs as well. The idea was to join with Manuel, a blind dancer from my classes. We wanted to do this because it is something we really stand for, something Manuel stands for: bringing blind and sighted people together to create something beautiful. Manuel was the first dancer in our dance school who is blind. I also have a dancer, An, who is visually impaired, but she can still see something. Manuel is 95% blind, which is a very different situation. The fact that Manuel is blind brought an extra challenge, because there are many things involved that have a serious impact on dancing. But for me, it’s very important that everyone is welcome.
How does your approach differ when teaching sighted dancers?
There are many things to consider. Now, I have been teaching dance for 15 years, mainly in Cuban salsa, and over the years I have simplified many techniques in my explanations. I use a very 'Flemish' teaching method, where I give a lot of explanations. This differs from the ‘typical dance class’ in Cuban salsa, where improvisation is encouraged. I think that’s important to learn, but not in the first year. Thanks to this approach, Manuel was able to start in our regular classes 3.5 years ago, as the only blind person among around 40 sighted dancers. During COVID, he asked for private lessons. Through that 1-on-1 work, we started looking for what more we could do for dance for blind people. And it has evolved from there. Now, I spend about 20 hours a week on it: teaching dance to blind people, developing methods, testing new tools, evaluating them (see www.danceorientation.eu), and so on.
How was it to participate in The Greatest Dancer?
We followed the regular selection process like everyone else, so first, we submitted a video. I think that's important, that we are judged the same way as others. For us, it’s mainly important to give visibility to dance for blind people. That blind people can do it. What was especially challenging for us was the difference between social dancing, which we do in the lessons, and dancing a choreography as in the program. If you’re used to social dancing and then have to learn a fixed choreography, it’s a new experience for every dancer. But for Manuel, there were additional challenges. For example, when you're blind, your orientation is not the same as when you're sighted. Turning 90° is not always 90°—it can sometimes be 110° or 75°. So that was very challenging for us. Another example: if we dance side by side and he has to turn his head from left to right, for example, to “look at me” or “look away from me,” we really had to learn to do that on the beat, because he can’t see it. These may seem like small things, but you have to take them into account. These are things we learned a lot from.
What did you enjoy most about participating in the program?
I’ve been in the business for a long time, so I'm not easily impressed by show business. For me, it was mostly the partner connection, that experience of being able to share that with him. The feeling of: we delivered that without mistakes, and we did something that we hope people can learn from. Manuel himself is someone who enjoys being in the spotlight, so he has that sense, like every dancer, of wanting to be seen. For him, of course, it was all new. And he enjoyed it.
Would you participate in the program again?
I can't really judge that yet. I would first want to see where it goes. We’ve now participated, and we’ve – especially Manuel – sacrificed a lot of vacation days to be able to train. We put in a lot of effort. And the most important thing I’ve gained, I think, is the knowledge of how we can continue with dance for blind people. To bring it, outside of TV, more into practice, to more people. Of course, such a program is very important to make a statement. You can have many good intentions, but without a platform, you can’t move forward with your objectives. So, in that respect, The Greatest Dancer is a very big platform.
What would you recommend to other dancers who want to participate?
Go for it. If you have a passion: do it. You might fall sometimes, but then get back up and try again. If you're a dancer, it's for life. You just dance, whether it’s for full halls or empty halls, you just dance. Follow your feelings, follow your gut, and just do your thing. For blind people, I would maybe say: dare to cross that threshold, dare to trust the sighted world. Blind people are often disappointed by the sighted world, but know that sooner or later, something will come up that you can say: look, it was worth it after all.
Image Description
Photo 1: Manuel is wearing a black tuxedo and a dark blue bow tie with a white shirt. The bow tie matches the color and silk fabric of Michèle's dress. Manuel wears glasses and has dark hair. Michèle has long blonde hair and is wearing it in loose curls. She has coral-colored lipstick and gold-yellow eyeshadow. They are standing in front of the pitch-black long bar of Etage Tropical. Above the bar, the Etage Tropical logo hangs. Manuel and Michèle are in a static dance pose, with his right hand holding Michèle's right hand and his left hand resting on her left shoulder. To the right behind Manuel, there is a large copper vase on the bar with big orange fabric flowers and greenery.
Photo 2: Michèle and Manuel are posing in a gazebo with garlands of fabric leaves and a wooden fence in front. It looks like a country-style gazebo. There is a large black lantern on the left side of Manuel and a large green artificial plant on the right side of Michèle. She rests one hand on Manuel’s right shoulder and poses at an angle to him with her other arm proudly at her side. She wears a long black dress with a high slit and white sneakers. Manuel wears a dark shirt and dark pants. He has dark hair. Next to him is his dog Dajoor proudly posing for the photo.
Photo 3: Manuel and Michèle pose in the same clothes as in Photo 1. Michèle has both hands on Manuel’s right shoulder. They pose in front of a white wall with two dark red congas on the right side of Michèle and a fake green plant.
