Last Saturday night, I lay on my sofa, weeping. I was watching the Strictly final, and comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell were dancing a waltz to ‘You’ll never walk alone’. I’d shed a tear when they first did the routine, but this was full-on snotty snuffling. I was deeply moved by pretty much everything they did, but the moments when Chris walked alone blew my mind.
To back up a little, Strictly is my guilty pleasure. I’ve watched every series. There was a period when I thought I’d stop because it seemed to have lost its way. But here I am, twenty years on…
There are many things about the show that annoy me, but they’re outweighed by the journeys of discovery that both the ‘celebs’ and the dance professionals undergo. This is what I love most: the celebs have to work hard at an embodied skill. There are no short cuts. Whatever their starting point, they each have things to overcome – some need to bring more freedom to their movement, while others have to find greater precision. Some start with little coordination, musicality, confidence or stamina. Others have more obvious obstacles such as the lack of a limb, hearing or – this season – sight.
In addition, the dance professionals have to figure out how to coach their partner, especially those with no dance and/or performing experience. Both parties come to know themselves differently and, in this way, Strictly represents everything I love about coaching, embodied learning and personal development.
During every series, the celebs are tested by the discipline of embodying an art form. They discover or rediscover qualities like courage, resilience and joy. This is what keeps me returning to the show – alongside the delight I feel whenever anyone achieves more than they believe to be possible.
I find Strictly immensely uplifting – and sometimes inspiring.
I thought I’d reached peak inspiration in 2021, when Rose Ayling-Ellis, who was born deaf, won the Glitter Ball with Giovanni Pernici. Imagine… learning to dance when you can’t hear music! Rose described ‘hearing’ through Gio’s body, which I recognize from martial arts. In one routine, they danced for several seconds without music, allowing viewers to share her experience. An iconic moment.
And then came Chris McCausland, who‘s blind. No-one, including him, had any idea how this might work. Imagine… signing up for Strictly when you’ve not seen the show. Imagine… learning a samba, paso doble or foxtrot when you haven’t seen one. Imagine… how you teach and coach an embodied skill in these circumstances. And, once the live shows start, each dance must be learned in less than a week.
Chris and Dianne confounded everyone – including themselves. From the beginning, I was moved by their dances and their partnership – and was in awe of how they found a way through each new challenge. As they began to believe in themselves, they set a target of still being in the show in early November because Dianne’s parents would be visiting from Australia. They surpassed that. And, along the way, danced that waltz: midway through the routine, Dianne leaves Chris in the centre of the dance floor. He dances a couple of steps, and walks confidently forward to rejoin her at the edge of the floor.
It’s jaw-dropping. Even in a private setting, it’s hard to imagine walking across a room in the dark – but to do it on live television? What courage. I was undone.
On Saturday, I suspect there were very few dry eyes amongst those watching… and, even though Chris wasn’t the best dancer in the final, what he and Dianne had achieved was extraordinary. The public recognized this, crowning them Strictly champions. During the programme, Chris said he hadn’t expected Strictly to be life-changing… it seemed that he, too, was undone.
Overall, what inspires me is that, when we commit to something and apply ourselves to it, we’re often capable of so much more than we imagine.
Strictly is life-affirming and, each year, I’m bereft when it ends. But… this year, there’s a nostalgia-fest to enjoy, celebrating twenty years of glitter. And… don’t tell anyone… in January, I’m going to see the touring show for the first time.
Contemplations
- What do you find uplifting, life-affirming and inspiring?
- How might you bring a little more of these qualities into your life?
