Deaf Dancers—Need the Internal Beat

[Miss-Delectable]

Deaf Dancers—Need the Internal Beat - 13WHAM.com

Marlee Matlin has taken the stage as an actress for years, but it's been quite some time since she has done so as a dancer.

When she does, Sarah Clark and Lauren Bain will watch her first steps. "I am excited to see what she can do on the show," Lauren said.

Both girls remember their own first steps taken more than 20 years ago. Both are deaf, professionally-trained, contest contenders.

"You have to act like...you own the dance floor," Sarah said. "It's like, 'This stage is mine. Back off!'"

Sarah's strides have earned her medals, and the right to say that. Matlin will have to learn her favorites: swing and ballroom.

"To tell you the truth, it's really challenging," Sarah said. "Because from my experience knowing ballroom dancing, it tends to be fun and exciting, also hard work."

Lauren's more about hip-hop and funk. She met Matlin as a teen, and spoke with her about dance.

"She encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing," she said. "I was traveling at the time and I was performing internationally and I felt that she was really supportive of me as a deaf person. Really encouraging to go for it...go for my dream."

The dancers say they hope when Matlin takes the stage, it won't just be entertaining - but educational for the hearing community. It may even answer some questions they've received themselves in the past.

"I understand what they're thinking: 'How can they hear the music?' Lauren said. "But I think it's really important to spread the knowledge and educate about deafness in general."

Sarah and Lauren belief all dancers - deaf or not - feel the rhythm inside. They said Matlin will need that internal beat, if she wants to beat the competition.

 

[jillio]

Exactly. All hearing people can hear the rhythm but they can't all dance. Once has to feel the beat in order to keep the beat. Its a kinesthetic thing, not a hearing thing.

 

[Bebonang]

I had studied modern dance and ballet for years until I stopped at twenty years old. I felt the vibration from the piano through the floor in the classroom, but if I was on stage I felt nothing on the floor with no vibration. I had to look at the dancers to make sure I get the rhythm. I remembered seeing a movie about a Deaf ballet dancer years ago. She could not feel vibration on the floor. Someone got the idea to put two big boxes of speaker on the back of the stage, I think. That way she can feel the vibration from the loud sounds of the music and it is like rhythm or beats. I did not realize that it could work like that in real life. I probably could dance like that if I was on stage doing the professional ballet dancing. Really cool. But it was too late and I was way beyond my time after I saw the movie about that. At twenty years old, I had to go to work as a keypunch operator for a living.

 

[jillio]

I had studied modern dance and ballet for years until I stopped at twenty years old. I felt the vibration from the piano through the floor in the classroom, but if I was on stage I felt nothing on the floor with no vibration. I had to look at the dancers to make sure I get the rhythm. I remembered seeing a movie about a Deaf ballet dancer years ago. She could not feel vibration on the floor. Someone got the idea to put two big boxes of speaker on the back of the stage, I think. That way she can feel the vibration from the loud sounds of the music and it is like rhythm or beats. I did not realize that it could work like that in real life. I probably could dance like that if I was on stage doing the professional ballet dancing. Really cool. But it was too late and I was way beyond my time after I saw the movie about that. At twenty years old, I had to go to work as a keypunch operator for a living.

Do you still dance for pleasure? You should find time for something that brings that much joy to you.

I posted in another thread awhile back about my son also having dance classes. He loved it.

 

[Bebonang]

No, Jillio. I did tried that just a few years ago before I became 60 years old. I was and still am out of shape. I am not thin any more. I am fat now. Also which is funny is that I tried to find a pair of ballet slippers to fit my feet, but no avail. My feet was big and still is today. That really was a wake up call. It was impossible to dance ballet any more. As for other types of dance, no, I am no longer interest in dancing any more. I am tooo old for this. Times have change a lot and I realized that times has been catching up to me, thinking I can do this. I was wrong. Oh, well, life goes on.

 

[jillio]

No, Jillio. I did tried that just a few years ago before I became 60 years old. I was and still am out of shape. I am not thin any more. I am fat now. Also which is funny is that I tried to find a pair of ballet slippers to fit my feet, but no avail. My feet was big and still is today. That really was a wake up call. It was impossible to dance ballet any more. As for other types of dance, no, I am no longer interest in dancing any more. I am tooo old for this. Times have change a lot and I realized that times has been catching up to me, thinking I can do this. I was wrong. Oh, well, life goes on.

I know what you mean Bebonang. Sometimes our brain says "yes" but our body says "no".

 

[horselover61]

I remmy I took a dancing class when I was in College. I was the only deaf person in that class. Once the music was going and all the students dance. The teacher told everyone that I was the only one keep up with the beat. Everyone went

 

[jillio]

I remmy I took a dancing class when I was in College. I was the only deaf person in that class. Once the music was going and all the students dance. The teacher told everyone that I was the only one keep up with the beat. Everyone went

That doesn't surprise me at all. Since your screen name is "horse lover", I assume that you ride. It takes an amazing amount of natural rhythm to be a good rider. You have to "feel" the horse under you, and anticipate his moves. Same with dancing.

 

[sleepytaz]

Oh, don't get me started! whooo!

I LOVE to dance. I've been dancing freelance since I was young... since I first saw Michael Jackson "Thriller" and I was hooked on him! I became hooked with that form of dancing... mixture of tapping, jazz, hip-hop... etc. I'd just watch music video over and over again... picked up natural rhyme. I'm now learning how to do clown/krump dancing... a new dance movement. I often of the time use dancing to express my feelings... boredom, happy, excited, mad, and anger. I've grown out of copying Michael Jackson's moves... not the croch grapping part, mind you! (although, I still do it now and then... it is like my orginal dance that I would try to alternate out of... but for the fun of it and to amuse people, I would do M.J. moves and yes moonwalking! haha)

I find it exciting to see MM going up on stage to dance... I'll miss the first one since I'll be driving out of state to haul most of my big stuff for the move. If I remember to watch that show which I sometimes do even tho I like watching dancings.... I'm very much interested in watching ballroom dancing, hip-hop, latinos, etc... as long it isn't like country line, polky, or any "dorky" (in my view.) It ought to be interesting! It makes me feel like I want to go and dance! Whee!