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Danelle Umstead continues to prove that anything is possible.
The 46-year-old, who won three Paralympic bronze medals in alpine skiing, returned her Dance with the stars Premiere of the 27th season of Monday as the first blind competitor to have participated in the series of dance competitions.
"As an alpine skier, I can charge the mountain up to 70 miles per hour – without being able to see. My husband guides me down the mountain and one of my proudest moments is to win a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games, "she explained in her video package. "Now I have a new challenge and this challenge is dancing."
Although his professional partner Artem Chigvintsev has extensive experience in the dance world, teaching Umstead was a new challenge.
"When Danelle told me that she was blind, the first thing I thought was: How will I teach a blind person to dance?he said. "It's the biggest challenge I've ever had on the show."
To facilitate the learning of dance, Umstead used touch to understand the movement.
"Because I can not see, I touch Artem's shoulders or her legs to feel the movement and paint an image," she explained.
Throughout her training, Umstead did not allow her husband, Rob, to watch. So, during the first episode of Monday, he was blown away by his first dance – a beautiful and emotional foxtrot that she herself and Chigvintsev performed with "Rise Up" by Andra Day – & # 39; s scores.
"It was great, I was really impressed, I'm blown away," he told animator Tom Bergeron about his wife's dance.
Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev
ABC
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Chief Justice Len Goodman praised Chigvintsev's teaching skills and said about Umstead: "Your footwork has been great," and added, "Bravo."
"It was so beautiful. It was classy, classic, very effective, "said Bruno Tonioli.
"I'm still dealing with what I just saw, because I think there's a lot more information than we really notice," Carrie Ann Inaba said of the dance. "What you did was spectacular. The way you have evolved in uncertainty and trust – I think we can all feel the connection between you and Artem, who was so magical. You moved as one body.
Inaba also encouraged her: "Trust what you do. You are going in such a beautiful direction.
Even though Umstead, who scored 18/30, was "so scared that I was going to fall and stumble," she said about the challenge: "Anything is possible and just go there. . "
Dance with the stars broadcasts Mondays (8 pm ET) on ABC.
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