A deaf and blind mother-of-two got the experience of a lifetime when she boogied for the first time on a vibrating dance floor built in her garden.
Marilyn Dommett, 62, from Southampton, lit up as she shook her hips and swung her arms to the sensation of the beat.
Daughter Crissy, 32, said they got the idea because Marilyn kept placing her hands on speakers in the house in order to feel the vibrations.
Sound technician Simon Kilmister, 39, built the dance floor for the family while observing social distancing rules.
Marilyn Dommett, 62, from Southampton, clapped, shook her hips and boogied to the vibrating dance floor that was set up in her garden
She smiled as she danced along to tracks filled with bass by Snoop Dogg and Motley Crue
Marilyn pictured with her 32-year-old daughter Crissy. Her daughter said they got the idea as her mother keeps putting her hands on speakers at home to feel the vibrations
A touching video shows the mother smiling, laughing and jigging from foot to foot as she enjoys the vibrating dance floor.
At one point she bends over to touch the floor with her hands, to check the floor is really there, and then starts to clap.
And she was so thrilled she even appeared to mime a tear of happiness streaming down her face.
The rock fan boogied away to bass-heavy tracks by Snoop Dogg and Motley Crue when the dance floor was built at her home on May 2.
Marilyn has been deaf for her whole life and blind for the last 15 years. She is only able to tell the different between night and day, and can’t make out shapes.
‘I could feel the vibrations all the way from my feet to my head which made me want to dance,’ delighted Marilyn said.
‘I loved feeling the sound of the music. It gave me such joy.
‘Thank you to Simon for being so thoughtful and giving me an experience I never thought I could have.’
The mother-of-two was thrilled by the experience. She said: ‘I loved feeling the sound of the music. It gave me such joy’
Mr Kilmister, who offers interactive music for disabled people, made a dance floor for the mother after hearing about the family.
It is made up of a subwoofer speaker beneath a square wooden mat.
The bass from the speaker vibrates through the mat, allowing the user to feel the beat, and the levels can be controlled so they can feel as much or as little as they want.
Her daughter, Crissy, said: ‘This has brought an immense amount of joy to her life. She loves music and loves the vibration of music.
‘She’s always putting her hand and feeling the vibration of our speakers in the house.’
‘We love a party at our house, so any excuse to go for a bit of dance we go for it.
‘Now Mum can really join in and it’s great. We can all just have a bit of a party together.’
Daughter Crissy said: ‘This has brought an immense amount of joy to her life. She loves music and loves the vibration of music. She’s always putting her hand and feeling the vibration of our speakers in the house’
Simon Kilmister, 39, from Bournemouth in Dorset, designed the floor for the family
Crissy said as soon as her mother got on the matt she was away.
‘It was a really powerful sensory experience for her. It was so incredibly thoughtful for someone to put together something like that.’
Marilyn is more inclined to music that has heavy bass, as she can really feel the vibrations.
Simon, who creates interactive music for disabled people, said: ‘I would love to develop this project further, and make it available to others.
‘Marilyn’s reaction to it was magical and really highlights the emotional power of music on a physical level as well as auditory.’
He has set up a website offering interactive and immersive audio installations for disabled people.