Sign Language Week
FEEL THE BEAT
Can deaf people enjoy music? The answer here is absolute: YES, OF COURSE! The Deaf community can not only enjoy but also create music. There are initiatives out there striving to breach the gap between commercial music and inclusive music. For instance, D-PAN (The Deaf Performing Arts Network) produces among other projects music videos of popular songs interpreted by deaf and hard of hearing actors.
The way deaf people experience music goes beyond the singing and lyrics, as they focus on the beat conveyed by the vibrations. It is worth pointing out that deaf and hearing-impaired people lean on large speakers or sign language interpreters to enhance their music experience. To give a sense of how this looks like, in the next clip (scene starts at minute 17:00 and ends at 18:43) you will see a deaf girl dance and simultaneously sign (or in French “chansigner”) to the rhythm of Bach’s classic song.
Link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7rp9zp
Language: French Sign Language (Langue des signes française or LSF)
– Author: Juan