How to dance without legs

David Toole of CandoCo Dance Company compels attention. Propped on his hands, head lowered between his powerful shoulders, his gaze has a burning intensity. He disappears below the waist, unburdened by legs: his arms are his means of locomotion and of dancing, with or without a wheelchair. Physically, David Toole is half a person, yet he mesmerized me with his strength, skill and musicality. His dance has come on in leaps and bounds - except that he does not leap conventionally but on long, muscular arms. No one watching would describe Toole as physically challenged. David succeeds in shattering our preconceptions about the handicapped and is truly an inspiration.