Blind dance instructor helps others find their rhythm
Blind dance instructor helps others let loose by listening, moving to the beat
Meet Lady J who calls herself the blind hustler. Her dance class for the blind and visually impaired at Wayne County's Disability Network helps everyone find their own rhythm.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit woman is making moves with a dance class like no other. There's no watching, just listening — and no mirrors are required.
Meet instructor Lady J.
Big picture view:
Some people find rhythm without looking. They say seeing is believing.
"I am a dancer, I came to dance," Lady J tells the crowd.
She can't see the steps, but believes in, and sees life's possibilities.
"I began to make up my own hustles because I didn't have enough sight to learn the hustles everybody else was doing," she said.
She calls herself "the blind hustler." A title, that came with time.
Lady J shares her story
The backstory:
"I lost my vision about six years ago," she said.
Lady J suffered a retina detachment in her left eye, causing lasting complications.
"It deteriorated my vision, and it never came back fully," she said.
But it didn't stop her from moving forward and moving to the beat.
"Lady J is out there hustling again," she said.
Now, she's teaching others who are just like her, to do the same.
Every Monday from 5:30 to 7, Lady J invites those who are blind, or low vision, to come together and dance.
"Some people that pass by just stop and ask questions, ‘Who are they?’" said Koko Etim.
They are involved in a peer support group at the Disability Network, Wayne County, Detroit, which connects people with disabilities to the resources that they need.
"When they see them dancing, they see that they are with a cane," said Etim, communications director from the Disability Network. "So when they say, 'Why do they have a cane? Oh, they are blind people. Oh, wow!'"
Dancing to their own beat
Local perspective:
A class of about 15 learns to let loose, by listening.
"It was hard being blind and dancing," Lady J said. "And now, they're out listening to music, being able to relate to the music, coming together, socializing, being happy again."
Lady J reminds us that we don't have to see the next step, to take it.
"This is not an easy journey, but if you're going through the same thing I'm going through, you can make it," she said.
In life, we all move and see differently.
"I'm telling y'all, it does not stop here," she said.
The key is finding and owning your own beat.
"I want people to support. I want people in the community to know that together we can do this," she said.
Those classes are held Mondays from 5.30 to 7 p.m. at 7800 West Outer Drive in Detroit.
What you can do:
Lady J is now looking for funding to open up her own dance studio for people who are blind or have low vision.
If you are interested in supporting her efforts, learn more on her GoFundMe page here.
The Source: Information for this report is from an interview with Lady J at the the Disability Network, Wayne County, Detroit.
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