Utah man ‘represents’ for people with disabilities on national TV
May 29th, 2008From Youtube and Fox TV 13 in Salt Lake City:
Brett Banford, a 25-year-old Salt Lake City man who has Down syndrome, earned audience cheers yesterday on Fox television’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” and used his appearance to advocate on behalf of all people with disabilities. Excerpt below.
so you think can dance week 2 Brett Banford
“I’m just here to prove to people that people with disabilities can actually have a normal life and live it. And that’s what I’m here to represent,” Banford said after a dance routine full of martial arts and smiles, as the audience whooped its approval. The judges did not advance Banford to the next level of competition, but described his efforts as “inspirational.”
Banford was gracious as he left. “It’s not about winning or losing,” he said. “It’s about having fun.”
Partial (and unofficial) transcript of the judges’ remarks:
Brett Banford: (in pre-audition segment): I’m in martial arts. If Nigel misjudges me, the way I move, I’m gonna hurt them. (laughter)
Nigel Lythgoe: Wow, wow. Now we’re gonna get honest about this. You don’t want me to patronize you now, do you? You want honesty from me. You are a really good mover. You’ve got musicality …. you’re inspirational for all of us. (cheers) But I’m going to keep it real about the dancing … To carry on in this competition would not be right. You’re not a good enough dancer for that. But thank you for coming.
Mary Murphy: You’re a lot of fun, Brett. You look like you were really enjoying yourself, and keep doing that. But again, it’s not quite right — you’re not strong enough for the show. But keep dancing.
Third judge: Brett, it’s so awesome. You’ve got everybody in this room cheering for you, and I think that that’s ultimately what it’s all about. So congratulations.
See also: Martial artist flexes Olympic muscles, from Newsnet at Brigham Young University.
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on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 8:17 am and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, success stories, television, video.
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June 5th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
It was such a lovely surprise when Brett showed up on screen while I was watching So You Think You Can Dance. I have a brother with Down syndrome and the entire segment had me crying. Fantastic job, Brett. You are an inspiration for everyone. I am disappointed that the clip is no longer available on YouTube as they had to take it down due to copywrite from Dick Clark Productions. Funny that you can still find other clips from the show…
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I am a huge fan of “So You Think You Can Dance”. I think it is an amazing show where people get to show off their talents. More memorable, however, are the stories that come with the dancers.
Brett is one of the most inspirational contestants I have seen on the show. He took the judges’ comments with more understanding and dignity than people without Down syndrome would. It just goes to show how special people like him really are.
He was a very good dancer. He actually shocked me with how well he could move. I have a cousin with Down syndrome, and it’s people like Brett who help the world to understand how wonderful and perfect people with special needs are. Hopefully with the wonderful thing Brett has done more people will look at people with special needs as normal people like everyone else.
Way to go Brett!! REPRESENT!!!! You are AWESOME!!!
May 30th, 2008 at 9:40 am
My husband and I were very impressed with what an amazing representative Brett is for people with disabilities. I want very much to contact him and let him know how inspiring I feel he is and see if there’s a way I can help get his message to more people. If anyone out there knows how to contact him and is comfortable posting it here, I’d appreciate it.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
This was awesome. Thanks for posting the background information and the link for the Fox interview.
I really appreciated the fact that the judges showed their respect for him by judging him on his dancing ability, instead of giving him a pass because he has Ds. I was very impressed that Brett, even though he had to be disappointed that he was not going to advance to the next round, had the poise to make his final statement. He is a very inspiring young man … his mother has good reason to be very proud of him.