Diane Buswell's dance teacher who helped give Chris McCausland his moves on Strictly revealed
Dianne Buswell and Chris McClausland have been wowing the judges on Strictly Come Dancing over the last six weeks, with comedian Chris - who lost his sight over 20 years ago- nailing his routines every Saturday, And now, it has been revealed that Dianne is being helped by choreographer Sandrine Monin, who has set up dance workshops for the blind and has extensive experience in the area.
Talking to the BBC, Sandrine shared what she told Dianne to help with her teaching of Chris. "We talked about language, how to describe movements, how to maybe use metaphors and not just being descriptive," she said.
She continued: "We talked about manipulation - how you move people around, how do you help them get a sense of the space and how to build trust."
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While Sandrine's dance company, Unbound Dance Theatre, shared a picture of her beaming alongside Dianne and wrote: "We’re also excited to share that our Artistic Director @sandrinemonin has been working with Dianne Buswell and delivering sensitivity training to the Strictly teams over the past month. It’s great to see such positive steps towards more inclusive dance".
As Strictly's first-ever blind contestant, Chris has previously opened up about his unique preparation with dance partner Dianne Buswell, likening it to a pilot's pre-flight checklist. "I have to have a little breather, and start in my own time," said Chris.
"We have to do that thing like they do on the planes. They don't just take off, they have a little checklist. They cross-check the doors, make sure the seats are upright, the blinds are up. I have to go through my checklist in my head - doors to manual. OK, Di? "
Despite the challenges of dancing without sight, Chris humorously shared his relief at performing the routine without any mishaps, referencing a close call during practice where Dianne nearly kicked him in the face. He quipped: "Every time we start, it's like that scene in Lethal Weapon where they're in the bathroom and there's a bomb, 'Do we go on the three or the one? '."
While Dianne has shared how she has to 'place Chris' hands on her body' to allow him to feel what he should be doing. "I can't show him what something needs to look like," she says. "I've found Chris places his hand on my body and feels how my arms and my legs are moving and then he instantly gets an idea of what he should be doing."
