Former skydiver starts Sunshine Coast business Lights Off Dance On

After surviving a skydiving incident that could have paralysed her, a Sunshine Coast resident has created a business where she encourages groups to heal through dance.

Tee Gibson on a skydive before her accident in 2013.

Electric shocks up and down Tee Gibson’s arms were the first sign something was not right, on what was an otherwise routine skydive in 2013.

Then she realised she could not raise her neck or left arm.

After more than 5500 skydives over 18 years and not so much as spraining an ankle, and after introducing more than 3000 people to the sport as an instructor, Ms Gibson was in trouble.

She and her student had experienced a parachute hard opening and a deceleration out of free fall that had caused Ms Gibson a severe neck injury.

Her student was fine and had no idea of the precariousness of their situation thousands of feet above Byron Bay.

Tee Gibson on a skydive.

Despite her incredible pain, the skydiver landed the pair and her student walked away happy and uninjured.

It was, however, Ms Gibson’s last skydive.

Tee Gibson during her recovery from a severe neck injury she received when skydiving in 2013.

Her doctor told her a few more centimetres of damage to her neck and the injury would possibly leave her paralysed.

“Recovering from the injury for two or three years afterwards was hell for me, but it’s also the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said.

“I got into mindfulness and got into conscious dance.”

The 42-year-old Caloundra resident started Lights Off Dance On earlier this year to share her love of conscious dancing.

Tee Gibson has started a business, Lights Off Dance On, after discovering a love of conscious dancing during her recovery from a severe neck injury following a skydiving accident in 2013.

She said dancing in the dark was not a new concept, but combining it with mindfulness practice was a novel move.

She has grown a loyal following of weekly dancers and casual drop-ins to her Currimundi and Maleny groups.

“All forms of movement (that don’t disturb anyone else) are welcome including no movement,” the instructor said.

Ms Gibson has seen one participant lie down and another massage her arm to the beat of the music.

The lights are lowered, but not pitch black for safety reasons, and the class chooses songs for the playlist before they arrive.

She said some of her participants had told her the sessions had become a vital part of their mental health maintenance.

“I love that saying you’ve got to feel to heal,” Ms Gibson said.

“If you’re going through challenging or tough times and you don’t let yourself feel the feeling, it’s going to take you longer to bounce back.

“I’ve had many a people cry on the dance floor and I love it because it means they’re feeling. It’s a new concept so I can understand the hesitancy but it’s so wholesome.”

Originally published as Former skydiver starts Sunshine Coast business Lights Off Dance On