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The ballet secret that got father and son grooving again

When artist Jamie Ross discovered his dad’s hidden dance career, their bond was revived

When Canadian Jamie Ross told his father he was going on an artist’s residency, his dad revealed he'd been a ballet dancer at the same place. It was the last thing Jamie expected from the man he knew as a finance executive. But after years of a distant relationship, the surprise would get them jiving once more. Jamie and David made a film together about their journey called Dan Can Dance.

In 2010, 25-year-old Dinesh Palipana was a medical student in Australia. One night, while he was driving back from visiting his parents, he got involved in a car crash and suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury. But he tells Jo Fidgen nothing would stop him from realising his dream of becoming an emergency doctor. This interview was first broadcast in 2019.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

Presenter: Ramita Navai

(Photo: Film still of David and Jamie Ross dancing from their documentary Dad Can Dance. Credit: Courtesy of Jamie Ross and The New Yorker Documentary)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Fri 3 Nov 2023 03:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 2 Nov 2023 12:06GMT
  • Thu 2 Nov 2023 18:06GMT
  • Thu 2 Nov 2023 23:06GMT
  • Fri 3 Nov 2023 03:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

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