Poised and glowing in a pale turquoise gown, Davida Luehrs raises her arm to indicate to her dance partner her readiness to begin. Typically, in ballroom dancing, the dancer who leads gives this signal. But Luehrs is legally blind and cannot see her dance partner, so this is one of the many modifications devised to enable her to fulfill her dream of competing in ballroom dance.
While many with full sight would not expose themselves to the rigors, stress, and judgment of competitive dance, Luehrs of Reston views it as a challenge.
“I find that if I give myself a larger goal, even if it’s out of my comfort zone, I will work harder to achieve it, and I wanted to prove to myself that my failing eyesight would not keep me from living my dreams,” she says.
Her next dance competition will be the annual DanceSport Yuletide Ball at the Bethesda Marriott in Rockville, Maryland, from December 28 to January 1, 2025. Luehrs competes in all American ballroom dances, from tango and foxtrot to cha-cha, mambo, and swing.
Luehrs and her husband, Jim, began ballroom dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Reston in 2015 so they could dance together socially. They persisted through the COVID-19 lockdown by rolling back the rug and taking virtual lessons at home. When Jim took a break, Davida began dancing with her instructor, Jonathan Evans, who now owns Artistry in Motion in Herndon with Lauren Fealtman.
“I’m in awe of Davida,” says Evans. “Since she can’t see my steps, she feels my movements to anticipate what comes next.”
Luehrs, who is now 66, was diagnosed at age 28 with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that gradually causes complete or near-total blindness. According to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, RP affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. Neither of Luehrs’ parents had RP, but many people who carry an RP gene mutation never develop the disease. Unsure where to turn after her diagnosis, Luehrs began fighting blindness hands-on and supporting others coping with diminished sight.
Luehrs is president and founder of FFB’s Northern Virginia chapter and is organizing its 20th annual VisionWalk, held each May to fund research and clinical trials. She is a past president of the Northern Virginia Lions Club, which is active in fighting blindness. Luehrs is the club’s Sight Conservation Chair.
“Life is full of challenges and ups and downs,” says Luehrs. “I hope to encourage people not to let their limitations keep them from living their dreams.”
Resources for Visually Impaired Blind People
Foundation Fighting Blindness: fightingblindness.org
Lions Clubs International: lionsclubs.org
Davida Luehrs, FFB DC Metro chapter president: [email protected]
Feature image by Carol Khalsa
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
