After devastating accident, Las Vegas dancer finds a way to keep performing

AJ Montgomery's life changed in an instant.

While riding his motorcycle in 2015, the 31-year-old dancer was hit by a car. The accident took place just four days after he auditioned for the show Le Reve (The Dream) at the Wynn resort, and landed a spot in the cast. Over the course of nearly three weeks, Montgomery went through three surgeries, as doctors tried to save his left foot and lower leg. When it became apparent that he would have to go through more surgeries and live with daily pain, Montgomery chose to have his leg amputated below the knee.

Le Reve still wanted him to be part of the cast, and that "was a turning point," he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "At that point I didn't know what my life would entail. But I had something to work toward." Montgomery now has three prosthesis that he wears during the show in order to do the routines, and is able to "perform just like everybody else," he said. There are still times when Montgomery is on stage and is in awe of what he's accomplished. "It's so ironic that the show is called Le Reve because this is something I still dream of doing, and now I get to do it every day," he said. Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

YouTube

Watch On