My Life Catch up, Series 11: 4. The Dance of My Life on CBBC

My Life

Series 11: 4. The Dance of My Life

We meet Jess, a remarkable 15-year-old from Coventry. Determined not to be defined by a congenital condition - which means her legs didn't develop in the womb - Jess is a dynamic dancer, choreographer and Team GB basketball player.\n\nIn this film, Jess tells her life story through an emotional dance piece she devises with the help of choreographer Nick Smith, and performs with her dance troupe - friends she has had since being very young.\n\nJess’s dance takes a bold approach to her life story, drawing from her experiences at school, with friends, in public and on the basketball court, expressing both feelings of anger and feeling invisible, as well as strength and triumph.\n\nThe performance allows Jess to confront assumptions made about her and other children with disabilities and what they are capable of. She believes you can achieve what you want, be who you want to be and that you don’t need legs to be the most beautiful dancer.\n\nThe film also follows Jess with her best friend Josie, at home with her family - mum, dad, brother Finn and Echo the Alaskan malamute, who often pulls Jess around the park on her skateboard.\n\nIn a surprise outing, Jess gets to meet the cast of hit show ‘The Next Steps’ on their UK promotional tour. Having been inspired by them to start dancing, Jess now shows them her moves, before fulfilling a lifelong ambition and freestyling with them.

Source: CBBC

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