Art

Tap Dance thru Life

March 20, 2021 - By Natalie Buske Thomas

First, the oil painting, then the story behind it… make sure you don’t miss my vintage, recent past, present and future live tap dance show footage!

Watch me paint “Miracle Dancer” in 2 minutes (time lapse)

I was in a white water rafting accident when I was fifteen years old. It was a horrifying ordeal that left me with an injured spine and unexplained seizures. I didn’t lose consciousness, but had uncontrolled convulsions from the waist down that would leave me temporarily paralyzed and in a wheelchair. I was hospitalized for weeks, but I was discharged without any improvement, and my health was instead declining. The seizures were lasting for longer, sometimes as long as two hours, and the paralysis was now lasting hours as well. I could no longer walk after these daily episodes.

“When I was 16, sitting in a wheelchair after a seizure, the doctor said, ‘She will never get out of that chair again.’
I refused to believe it
I danced in my next recital.
I danced ballet, tap, and jazz routines after being in and out of a wheelchair and unable to fully walk for months… and I won a trophy!
Never give in,
Never give up,
when they tell you, you’ll never walk-
DANCE!
Fight through the pain,
Fight through the fear.
Life is the DANCE!”

– from the book “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by my Christian Faith” by artist Natalie Buske Thomas

Update to the above story…

I never stopped dancing. Only two years after I was wheelchair bound and fought so hard to dance in my end of year recital, I performed solos in live shows (see my vintage video footage below from a live Christmas show for troops and their families on an Army base in Bamberg, Germany) . Years later I was much more mobile and could handle faster, more complicated routines. I became a dance teacher and arts director (video 2).

In this next video, we jump ahead about two decades into the future. I’m tapping during a live show that I directed. The girl who may never walk again was not only still dancing, but was now a teacher, choreographer, and director.

This last video is a clip from one of my Christmas painting variety shows. These days my time is spent mostly on oil painting, but I’ll never completely stop dancing, even if one fateful day I can only dance in spirit.

Return to the “Stories that Inspire my Art” blog series menu or enjoy current blog posts below. You may also subscribe to this blog to receive a notification when something new has been posted (free, you can cancel any time).