Dancing in the Dark - Alan Barnes

In 2017 I discovered Ceroc/Modern Jive and was hooked from day one. I would get my ‘dance fix’ several times a week dancing in Nottingham and other venues around the UK when working away from home.

As someone with no background in dancing, I soon appreciated the benefits to both body and soul and found myself wishing, like many other beginners, that I had discovered this earlier in my life.

When Covid and the subsequent lockdown brought all our lives to a shuddering halt, I looked forward to getting back to dancing at the earliest opportunity. 

When restrictions were eventually lifted in late July 2021, I was not to know that my dancing days were soon to come to a premature end.

My sliding doors moment was in December 2021 when I lost my sight in a freak accident. It is hard to describe the suffocating blanket of sadness and despair, and the realisation that my life would never be the same again.

For weeks I would not leave the security of the four walls at my home as I struggled to come to terms with my situation. In the back of my mind I found myself wondering would I ever be able to dance again. 

I eventually decided to pluck up enough courage to give Sue and Mark at Ceroc Heaven a call to see whether they thought it might be feasible for me to return. They were not only happy that I wanted to come back but gave me great encouragement and said we could all make it work.

When I eventually returned for my first class night I was nervous to say the least and asking myself all sorts of questions about why I was there……. ‘How will I be able to dance when I can't see my partner or anybody else on the dance floor’ ……..Well, the answer is where there's a will there's a way.

The Ceroc Heaven family welcomed me back with open arms and Sue and Mark made a number of practical adjustments to help reintegrate me back into the dancing world:- 

• Bright lights were installed to the edge of the stage to give me an anchor point using my remaining light perception.
• Seats were reserved for me close to the stage, so again I had a base point to return to. 
• During lessons, the class rotation was adjusted so ‘follows’ always moved around to ensure I didn’t have to navigate my way up and down the rows of dancers. 
• Perhaps most importantly, before each intermediate lesson, the teachers spend a few minutes with me demonstrating the three moves about to be taught. These brief previews are invaluable. By physically feeling the movements in advance I can build them into my muscle memory so when the formal teaching begins and everyone else is watching and listening I already have those moves visualised.

Although my first tentative steps back onto the dance floor were frightening, my anxiety gradually eased as the weeks passed and my confidence grew.

Four years on from my sight loss, I am now dancing regularly at class nights and local freestyles. I have also begun to challenge myself further attending several weekenders.

What once felt overwhelming has become an important and empowering part of my life. My passion for dancing remains as strong as ever. Even though I cannot see my dance partners, I experience the connection in different ways - through touch, through the movement and through the music itself.  

So as a gentle reminder to my fellow dancers:- if you see me hovering or sitting near the stage - don’t be shy….. I might not be able to see your hand held out, but I’m always ready to take it. Just a tap on the shoulder……. [say your name]…. “Would you like to dance?” is all it takes.