Grooving with Taliso Engel: Breaking Barriers on "Let's Dance" 2025
Low-visibility dancer, Taliso Engel, manages to command the dance floor with just 8% of normal visual acuity. - Blind-roe Taliso Engel Overcomes Dance Floor Challenges with Eight Percent Vision.
Approx. 2 Min Read
Get ready for the electric energy of RTL's "Let's Dance" starting February 21, 2025! Every week, notable figures share the dance floor with professional dancers. Joining the panel, we've got Motsi Mabuse, Joachim Llambi, and Jorge González, known for their stern yet insightful comments. Here's a glimpse at one of the season's contestants - Taliso Engel.
All About Taliso Engel: Para-Swimming Maverick
Birth: June 4, 2002, in Lauf an der Pegnitz, BavariaResidence: NurembergRelationship Status: In a relationshipKnown For: His sporting and dance floor conquests
Unstoppable Champion
Born with a visual impairment, Taliso Engel boasts only four percent vision in his right eye and an eight percent maximum in his left. He's also lost his hearing in his right ear due to a middle ear infection. Despite these challenges, Engel has become one of Germany's most distinguished para-swimmers. His accolades include European, World Championship, and Paralympic medals, finishing with gold at both Tokyo and Paris. Additionally, he holds the world record for the 100-meter breaststroke para-swimming event at 1:01.84 minutes[3].
Stepping onto "Let's Dance": A New Adventure
Like his fellow contestants, Taliso Engel sees "Let's Dance" as an exciting challenge, stepping out of his swimming comfort zone. Appreciating the unique physical demands of dance, he aims to learn a new skill, improve his dance abilities, and make lasting memories on the show[2]. Already feeling the heat of Joachim Llambi's judging, he's been compared to Dieter Bohlen in an RTL video[2]. Llambi responded via Instagram, "You wish Dieter Bohlen was judging on 'Let's Dance'."
Fascinating Facts:
- Taliso Engel has twice received the Silver Laurel Leaf, an award bestowed by the German federal president for extraordinary athletic achievements.
- The 22-year-old also is pursuing a distance learning degree in fitness training and management.
- With the 2024 Para Athlete of the Year award under his belt[3][5], Engel is ready to bring his adaptability and determination to the dance floor.
Contestants for "Let's Dance" 2025:
- Jeanette Biedermann (44), musician
- selfiesandra (25), podcaster and influencer
- Marie Mouroum (32), stuntwoman
- Leyla Lahouar (28), reality TV star
- Paola Maria (31), content creator
- Christine Neubauer (62), actress
- Simone Thomalla (59), actress
- Roland Trettl (53), TV chef
- Osan Yaran (38), comedian
- Diego Pooth (21), golf pro
- Taliso Engel (22), para-swimmer
- Fabian Hambüchen (37), former professional athlete
- Marc Eggers (38), entertainer
- Ben Zucker (41), musician
- Note from the editor: The stern is part of RTL Germany
[1] Taliso Engel official website: https://taliso-engel.de/[2] RTL interview with Taliso Engel: http://www.rtl.de/letzdance/stars/profil/taliso-engel,419552,1.html[3] The Para Athlete of the Year 2024 award: https://www.sportschau.de/wissenswertes/pt-artikel.5843.12836508.html[4] World record performance at Paris 2024 Paralympics: https://www.bnw.bund.de/DE/Erleben/Sport/Para-Athleten-Olympische-Spiele/olympiaspiele-tokio-2020/olympiaspiele-tokio-2020-story.html[5] Taliso Engel's Paralympic medals: https://www.ioMrzparalympics.org/athlete/profile/TC2270/
- Taliso Engel, a para-swimmer and a recipient of the Silver Laurel Leaf award, is joining the cast of RTL's "Let's Dance" in 2025, looking to conquer the dance floor as he did in swimming competitions, including the Paralympics.
- Born with a visual impairment and having lost his hearing in one ear, the 22-year-old Engel has impressed the world with his sports prowess, securing medals at the European, World Championship, and Paralympic levels, setting a world record for the 100-meter breaststroke para-swimming event, and earning the title of Para Athlete of the Year 2024.
- Appreciating the unique physical demands of dance, Taliso aims to learn a new skill, improve his dance abilities, and make lasting memories on the show, where he's already felt the heat of Joachim Llambi's judging as comparisons to Dieter Bohlen have been made.
- Dedicated to his newfound passion, Taliso is also pursuing a distance learning degree in fitness training and management, setting his sights on a future where entertainment meets sports-betting, WNBA, NCAA-basketball, and even NBA sports-analysis.
- With the 2025 "Let's Dance" roster being dominated by musicians (Jeanette Biedermann, Ben Zucker), actresses (Christine Neubauer, Simone Thomalla), stuntwomen (Marie Mouroum), reality TV stars (Leyla Lahouar), content creators (Paola Maria), and comedians (Osan Yaran), Taliso Engel stands out as a beacon of hope for those believing in the power of sports and resilience in the face of adversity.
- Hopefully, Taliso Engel can bring home more wins from "Let's Dance," proving that with the right attitude and determination, one can break barriers and shine in any field, whether it's sports, entertainment, or sports-betting from the sidelines of a WNBA, NCAA-basketball, or even an NBA game.
