Chris McCausland made jaws drop on Strictly last weekend – but how is partner Dianne Buswell able to teach him how to dance?
Comedian Chris, who is blind, made his dance floor debut last Saturday night (Saturday 21). With Dianne, the pair performed a Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles.
Chris and Dianne are take to the dance floor once more tonight (September 28) – but how does Dianne teach Chris to dance?
Chris McCausland on how he learns to dance for Strictly
Beloved TV star Chris lost his sight fully at age 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa. He has previously opened up about how he prepares for dance rehearsals with Dianne.
“I have to have a little breather, and start in my own time,” Chris shared. He went on: “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. Okay, Di?”
Chris also noted how it was useful for him to get in his mind where the cameras and judges would be positioned ahead of his performances.
Strictly pro Dianne reveals teaching method for Chris
Dianne meanwhile, has also shared how she is able to teach Chris to dance. The former Australian Open champion explained that she has to put Chris’ “hands on her body” so he is able to feel what he should be doing.
In opening VT from last week’s first live episode, Dianne said: “Obviously I can’t show him what something needs to look like.
“But Chris sort of places his hand on my body. Or he feels how my arms are, feels what my legs are doing. And then he instantly gets an idea of what he should be doing,” she added.
Chris on nearly getting kicked during rehearsals
Chris has also revealed he and Dianne had a close call during Strictly rehersals, 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?”
Dianne says her skills are now ‘elevated’ thanks to Chris
In an interview with Radio Times, Dianne shared that her new way of teaching Chris to dance will “elevate” her teaching skills.
“I can’t just rely on me doing it and somebody copying that,” she said.
Dianne added: “Even moving Chris into the right position so that he gets aware of how he should feel when he’s on that foot. Or how his arms should feel, or even things he can relate to.”
Chris did reveal some struggles during the first live show, though. They came when the roar of the audience drowned out Dianne and he had no idea where his partner was.
He explained: “In that room the other day, when the crowd goes in there, with the music, I couldn’t even hear you. I had no idea. I was just guessing where you were.”
Dianne noted that when in the rehearsal room, Chris is able to “hear her breath”, allowing him to know where exactly she is. However, he was unable to do that during the launch show.
“When we’re practising, I can hear you moving around me. Do you know what I mean? But in the room, I lost all of that completely.”
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday (September 28) at 6:15pm on BBC One.
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