Dieu-Nalio Chery

Photographer + Photojournalist

dieunalio.visura.co

Haitian amputee makes comeback on dance floor

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Location: Detroit, Michigan, 48212 United States of America

Nationality: Haitian

Biography: Dieu-Nalio Chery is a freelance photojournalist now based in Michigan working for The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, and The Associated Press. He was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal from the Overseas Press Club in 2019 for... MORE

In this Jan. 10, 2013 photo, pr...quo; (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 10, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus, center, speaks while performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, pr...dquo; (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus, center, dances with a member of his dance group while performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 18, 2013 photo, pr...d did. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 18, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus lifts weights in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Three years later, the 32-year-old professional dancer is back on the floor, spinning away as he does the salsa, cha-cha and samba. A prosthetic leg doesn’t hold him back. If some see him as something of an outcast, his friends find inspiration: He’s not one for self-pity; he was determined to dance again, and did. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo, pr...sfits. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus sleeps as his prosthetic limb lays on the floor in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus says he has learned to ignore the long stares and quiet whispers, products of a longstanding stigma in Haiti for people with disabilities. Before the quake, few resources existed to accommodate Haiti’s disabled, and many regarded people with disabilities as misfits. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo, pr...knee. ( Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus washes at home as he prepares for his concert in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living. He spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. ( Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, pr...lder. ( Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus walks out of his home to his wedding ceremony in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Georges Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living and he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus walks with a slight limp and he can’t dance as fast as he used to or balance as well or do some of his old moves, such as flipping his partner over his shoulder. ( Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, pr... back. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus prays with his wife Sherly Henrisme Exantus on their wedding night in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where Georges Exantus was living and he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Three years later, the 32-year-old professional dancer is back on the floor, spinning away as he does the salsa, cha-cha and samba. A prosthetic leg doesn’t hold him back. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus celebrates with his wife Sherly Henrisme Exantus on their wedding night in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where Georges Exantus was living and he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Three years later, the 32-year-old professional dancer is back on the floor, spinning away as he does the salsa, cha-cha and samba. A prosthetic leg doesn’t hold him back. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus attends a therapy session in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living. He spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. ( Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, pr...samba. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this July 20, 2012 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus takes his breakfast at his home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Israeli doctors and physical therapists who came to Haiti after the quake sent him to Israel for surgery and rehabilitation. Three years later, the 32-year-old professional dancer is back on the floor, spinning away as he does the salsa, cha-cha and samba. (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus, center, shares a light moment with members of his dance group after performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 10, 2013 photo, pr...dquo; (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 10, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus, center, dances with a member of his dance group while performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, pr...rdquo; (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, professional dancer Georges Exantus, center, readies with members of his dance group before performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, a ...dquo; (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Jan. 20, 2013 photo, a professional dancer dances with a member of his dance group while performing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he’d never dance again. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti’s capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. “As long as I’m living,” Exantus says, “I’m going to dance.” (Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery)

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Public Story

Haitian amputee makes comeback on dance floor

Copyright Dieu-Nalio Chery 2023

Date of Work Aug 2010 - Jan 2013

Updated Apr 2022

Location Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

Topics Spotlight

Three years after the massive earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people in 2010 in Haiti, one survivor has made a remarkable comeback.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti's capital flattened the apartment where Georges Exantus was living and he spent three days trapped under jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee.

Three years later, the 31-year-old professional dancer is back on the floor, spinning away as he does the salsa, cha-cha, and samba. A prosthetic leg doesn't hold him back. If some see him as something of an outcast, his friends find him an inspiration. He’s not one for self-pity; he was determined to dance again, and did.

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