'Dance for Life' is a national dancing campaign run by Abbott, an international Pharmaceutical that produces a treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis. The campaign was started in 2009 and was run over a period of four months whereby users of the product were invited to weekly dance classes where they were assigned a dance instructor and taught a professionally choreographed routine. After four months, regional finals were held and the winners were flown to the national final in Johannesburg.
In 2011, each region was given the funding to start their own 'Advocacy Programme' in order to raise funds and create awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Weekly life coaching sessions have also been initiated which deal with issues regarding personal goals, health and general well being.
Although the classes are free and open to anyone with Arthritis, attendance is always low. A small group of woman however have stuck it out over the years, bearing the pain and difficulties of dancing with Rheumatoid Arthritis and have built some genuine and intimate friendships along the way. Sharing advice and experiences with Rheumatoid Arthritis gives their friendships a level of understanding and intimacy which no other friend or even family member can provide.
I was commissioned to photograph the Durban campaign in 2009 and have been following it ever since. The following collection of photographs are still very much a 'work in progress'.
