Hello Manuel,
Sometimes, people come into your life who bring about profound changes and give the direction you're heading a completely new turn.
I must honestly say, without the many insights you've given me over the past months, I wouldn't have discovered the things needed to come to an understanding about the topic:
"DANCE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND BLIND"
On my end, and with the rest of the dance school, we are all working together to quickly teach you the dance skills for tropical dances.
First of all, I want to thank you for the commitment you've made with the dance school. I can say that I set high expectations for you simply because I feel that you can do it but, above all, want to.
The community of the dance school has long been aware of how you and I are working to create a place for you within our regular activities. I sincerely hope this will be a long journey. We could almost say we have become a think tank for dance for the blind and visually impaired.
The mix is really important to us. Inclusion can only happen this way. This week, I will begin practicing walking with your white cane. Thank you for allowing me to use it. Knowing is understanding, understanding is knowing. It is amazing how we are almost 100% aligned on many things, even though from both sides — both the sighted world and the blind world — we quickly had to deal with misunderstanding, prejudice, fear, indifference, and ignorance.
I am writing down the latest emotions and reactions to show that these issues come from both worlds.
Over the past year, I have noticed many technical dance differences between sighted and non-sighted dancers. It’s a fact. For both followers and leaders. Even though everything may seem the same at first glance, when you delve into the details, it's not quite so.
The solution must, and can only, be found together. There is a lot of work to do.
A simple example is shown here in a few videos to sighted dancers. For those who wish to become more aware of how to dance with a blind or visually impaired dancer.
Video 1: There is an interaction between Manuel and a social dancer. She nods her head to say no to a question you asked. This is an automatic response from someone who can see. Of course, you cannot respond to her body language. A difficult and complete miscommunication.
Video 2: Manuel dances with Stéphanie, who has recently been assisting me in the regular classes. She consciously keeps her hands in view to anticipate. For her, it’s an important interaction. This is something she does unconsciously, something I didn't instruct her to do. She does this as a natural responsibility towards the dancers in the lessons and, therefore, without exception, with you. What do I mean by this? Every student in the lesson should be helped. For visually impaired and blind people, keeping the hands in sight is a welcome dance aid. What everyone can also see is that the distance between your arm and her shoulder is a real challenge for you. It's not optimal, and we need to find solutions for that.
A delightful challenge! It would be an understatement not to admit that we’re having an absolute blast. I’m looking forward to the future.