Monday, September 14, 2015

Deaf Dancer

I am deaf and I can dance.   I love jazz and ballet. 





Dancing and being deaf is definitely not easy.  I can hear the music, but I'm sure I hear it differently.  Beats are sometimes hard to hear.  It's sometimes hard to know when to start a move based on just the sound of the music.  I rely a lot on counting and people around me. 

I don't like being in the front or doing a solo because I am afraid of not hearing the music and being off.  I prefer having people in front of me and doing duets instead of solos.  This helps me stay on the right count.  I can do it by myself, but I like the comfort of knowing that I am on the right count.  

Last year I had the opportunity to do a solo part throughout a lyrical dance.  The girl was going on choir tour, and they needed someone to learn her part.  I wasn't in the lyrical dance at the time, so they asked me if I would be willing to learn her part and perform it at the competition.  I said yes, and I am so glad I did!  It was very hard, but I was able to perform it well.  It took a lot of practicing and going over the counts but I was able to do it!  

Here is a video of the lyrical dance. I am the girl kneeling down on the left side.  


Emilee's Lyrical Dance from Ben Cahoon on Vimeo.

I am thankful that I am able to dance.  Dancing is one of my favorite things to do.  I am glad I have a cochlear implant that allows me to hear the music.  It is amazing that the technology today allows me to do something I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.  

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