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Chris McCausland, a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, has earned praise for his recent performance which imitated his experience with blindness. McCausland and his dance partner Dianne Buswell concluded the show on Saturday with their couple’s choice to John Lennon’s “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On).” During the performance, the comedian placed his hands over Buswell’s eyes as the room gradually faded to black. Moments later, the lights came back on to reveal him spinning Buswell around on his shoulders as pyrotechnics flared in the background. Judges awarded the pair a score of 33 out of 40, with Craig Revel Horwood calling the “touching blackout moment” “absolutely spectacular.”
Shirley Ballas, the head judge, commended McCausland, the program’s first blind contestant, for consistently giving it his all and putting his heart on his sleeve every week. His performance follows another touching routine from actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf, and her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice. In 2021, they performed in complete silence as a tribute to the deaf community, earning a Bafta award for Best Must-See TV Moment.
In his 20s and 30s, McCausland lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa and was subsequently registered blind. Despite his blindness, he has continually defied expectations and achieved numerous accomplishments throughout his life. Before joining Strictly Come Dancing, he admitted to being unable to dance and expressed doubts about his ability to participate in the program.
Students at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, where McCausland studied, have stated that he is continuing to defy expectations with his impressive performance on Strictly. One student expressed that individuals with visual impairments are often perceived as being unable to accomplish much beyond piano tuning, making McCausland’s success all the more significant. Another student remarked on the prospect of a visually impaired person winning the competition, stating that it would be “really cool.
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