THAT was definitely the best dance of the night on Saturday, and no I’m not biased.
For “Couple’s Choice”, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice chose Clean Bandit’s “Symphony” for their dance.
They were noticeably without shoes, both with bare feet.
If you would like to read about Evelyn Glennie, a percussionist, who wrote a book, “Good Vibrations”, you’ll read that she plays in bare feet as she feels the music through the floor under her feet.
For me, it depends on the floor.
Cold, hard concrete doesn’t allow the vibrations to travel very well, whereas warm, wood, and even water, and the air in a balloon all transmit the vibrations much better.
This determines how likely I am to dance, by how well I can feel the rhythm and the beat in the floor, and in the air. Though to be honest, with the pandemic, I cannot remember the last time I went out dancing!
Perhaps Ibiza in Summer of 2019 for my 40th!
Photo of Giovanni Pernice, Rose Ayling-Ellis during the live show of Saturday's BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing. Pic: Guy Levy/BBC
The music started, “Symphony” by Clean Bandit…”I’ve been hearing symphonies, before all I heard was silence”…and the flowing fabric of Rose’s dress highlighted the gentle delicate movements of the start of their dance.
Then… the rhythm changed and Rose and Giovanni were bopping around, before…… silence…… the music stopped……whilst they carried on dancing for a further minute before sound resumed again. Powerful.
This reminded me of another powerful moment in a film called CODA, about a young hearing woman having grown up in a deaf family…I won’t say any more, other than you should watch it!
CODA, which stands for Child of Deaf Adults, is available on Apple TV and stars Marlee Matlin, who made her film debut alongside William Hurt in Children Of A Lesser God in 1986, based on a play by Tony Medoff in 1979.
I could say lots more here but perhaps I’ll save that for another day! It was impressive that the “Couple’s Choice” for Rose and Giovanni was more about the message, that dancing is a positive experience, and that it can bring joy to all who dance, both deaf and hearing, than about the scores.
Well done to them I say!
Elisabeth Taunton
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