Community, fundraising and keeping dancing: Mo’s story

For almost 50 years, dancing has been at the heart of Mo Stewart’s life.

From teaching ballroom, Latin and sequence dancing, to organising holidays and social events through her business Strictly Fun Dancing, dance has provided friendship and community alongside a way to keep active. Now, despite living with bulbar motor neuron disease (MND) which affects her speech, dance continues to support Mo.

“I love to dance and have danced since I was 20,” said Mo. “I don’t know what I would do if, and when, I cannot dance. It keeps my mind and body active, and I have a great supportive dancing community, which means the world to me, especially since my diagnosis.”

After a career with the Department for Work and Pensions then the NHS, Mo retired seven years ago to dedicate her time to building and growing Strictly Fun Dancing, alongside her dance partner and best friend, Jimmy Currie.

Mo and Jimmy started Strictly Fun Dancing in 2011. What began as classes designed to help social dancers practice their steps and improve their skills, has grown into a dedicated community that brings people together through dancing holidays, social events, classes and workshops. Even during the Covid pandemic, they found ways to connect people through dance, recording line dances for YouTube and hosting virtual dance evenings.

Mo and Jimmy also create sequence dances, and a favourite memory of Mo’s is from when they created ‘The Platinum Waltz’. This was to go with a track that family friend and musician, David Read, composed for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The waltz is now danced all over the world, including at the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Take a watch of Mo and Jimmy dancing it in Blackpool here.

“We are a community of dancers who go on holiday together, dance together and learn together,” Mo remarked, “with Strictly Fun Dancing, the emphasis is always on the small middle word - FUN.”

That community has become all the more important since her diagnosis: “It is the biggest part of my life and the reason I am so active. We dance on average five days a week plus many weekends, and our dancing friends are all amazing and so supportive and loyal.”

Mo was diagnosed with bulbar MND, a form of motor neuron disease which mainly affects the muscles of the face, throat and tongue, making it hard to speak and swallow.

“I cannot eat or talk easily now and those were two of my favourite things,” Mo explained. “This has been very hard for me to accept but I am trying to have as normal a life as I can for now, and luckily I am still driving and dancing.”

Running dance classes and events has become more difficult as her speech has deteriorated, but with help from Jimmy, and Mo’s friend Elaine Dykes, classes and workshops have continued.

“They are a great team and very supportive to me,” she said.

After her diagnosis, Mo began learning more about MND and the vital need for research into the disease.

“When I was diagnosed, I was told ‘You have bulbar motor neuron disease which is a terminal diagnosis with no treatment, no cure, and the outlook is six months to two years.’ This was devastating news with no hope for the future.”

Inspired by Doddie’s legacy and the Foundation’s vision of a world free of MND, Mo decided she wanted to do something to support us.

“We read about how Doddie wished to fund research to try and help find a cure for this horrible disease. That touched a nerve with us too, and we wanted to play even a small part to help with the funding of research to find treatment and hopefully a cure.”

So last November, Mo transformed one of her Strictly Fun Dancing events into a fundraiser for the Foundation.

The event itself raised £6,200, with guests coming together for an evening of dancing, fundraising and awareness.

“It was a fabulous evening and everyone enjoyed their night, but it was an emotional night too,” Mo recalled. “The support given and the generosity of donations received for the raffle was truly amazing. I will never forget that night.”

But the fundraising didn’t stop there. David Read, who has also produced music for dancers around the world, created a special CD featuring some of Mo’s favourite tracks, to help raise further funds. Proceeds from the CD came to £5,000, taking the fundraising total for MND research to £11,200.

“It was an amazing amount and the generosity of our dancers, family and friends who donated to the fundraising and bought the CD or downloaded it was overwhelming,” Mo described.

Living with MND brings daily challenges, and Mo is open and honest about the toll the disease can take on her mental wellbeing: “My mental health is normally very good, but it is being challenged daily. I need to keep myself busy and positive to stop my mind from thinking too much about what is going to happen to me, but at the same time I need to realistically focus on sorting out important issues. It's a difficult balance.”

She also hopes more people will come to understand the realities of living with MND, and the urgent need for effective treatments.

“It’s so hard knowing how little can be done for those diagnosed. We must cope with the fact it is a terminal, fast-moving illness with no real treatment available. There are only coping strategies and aids to help manage the symptoms. That is a lot to get your head around."

As well as recognising the need to invest in research, Mo wants greater awareness to lead to increased support for those living with and affected by MND, to help them navigate their diagnosis.

“My MND team have been outstanding with their support and friendship,” she stated. “I could not have got this far without them.”

Despite everything she faces, Mo is determined to keep doing what she loves for as long as she can, and her message to anyone pursuing a passion in the face of adversity is: “Absolutely keep trying and never give up. You may have to adapt a bit, but keep going.”

As Mo continues to dance, inspire and bring people together through Strictly Fun Dancing, her story is a poignant reminder of the power of community, friendship and focusing on the fun in life, even when dealing with the most difficult of circumstances.

To find out how you can do your own bit and raise funds for MND research, see our Take Action page here.