The Dance Goes on: The Life and Art of Elizabeth Twistington Higgins MBE

Elizabeth Twistington Higgins MBE (1923-1990) had an amazing life. She was a revered British ballerina. After three kids, she was stricken polio. She never had the fame of other ballet dames but Elizabeth used her creative and artistic ability to become an accomplished artist in her own right. She used other parts of her body to help accomplish some masterful portraits. She never blamed anybody for her condition but she managed to pull through and achieve more than she possibly could. She probably inspired others to hang in there.

Elizabeth got polio at the height of her career, and she did whatever she needed to succeed. Since she could no longer dance, she formed a ballet company and taught. Since she could no longer use her hands, she learned to paint beautiful ballerinas and angels with a paint brush in her mouth. The book is wonderful to read and has many of her beautiful pictures and drawings in it. Elizabeth, who was totally paralysed by the poliovirus, says: "I am often asked what it feels like to be paralysed. Apart from being unable to move...and the non-stop battle to breathe, my body feels normal. If I could be granted three wishes I would choose the return of my diaphram, my hands and my arms." She enjoyed her work, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1977. Elizabeth was dealt a difficult hand, but she managed to deal with it. When asked what her ultimate goal was she answered, "I should think a nice little dance in heaven." And so, the dance does go on...