As I write this latest column we are officially heading towards the finals of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, and what a series it’s been so far. Those who have been watching will no doubt be aware that for the first time the show has taken its diversity a step further by having a deaf contestant. I am in fact talking about Rose Ayling-Ellis, better known to fans and viewers of EastEnders as Frankie.
As a strong supporter of the Disability Community, I was absolutely chuffed that the producers of the hit dance had decided to have a contestant that was deaf. Now a lot of you will probably be mentioning British rugby player Ben Cohen by reminding us all that he also had a disability as he also had hearing problems. Well, let’s not forget that unlike Rose he was only partially deaf as he supposedly has 30% hearing, unlike Rose who is the deaf full stop.
A couple of weeks ago during the Couple’s Choice dance week the show made the headlines once. During their dance routine, the music went completely silent for 15 seconds. I openly admit that I missed it the first time around but have since watched it on YouTube. The reason the decision was made to cut the music was so as to show people what it is like for performers that are deaf. Whenever a dancer can hear dances, they are guided by the beat of the music. However, when deaf dancer performs, they have to be guided by the steps of the dance.
A couple of weeks ago during the Couple’s Choice dance week the show made the headlines once. During their dance routine, the music went completely silent for 15 seconds. I openly admit that I missed it the first time around but have since watched it on YouTube. The reason the decision was made to cut the music was so as to show people what it is like for performers that are deaf. Whenever a dancer can hear dances, they are guided by the beat of the music. However, when deaf dancer performs, they have to be guided by the steps of the dance. Basically, for a dancer with hearing this is how it goes: music starts as does the dancer. They synchronize their movement with the various sounds of the beats so that they know where they need to be and where and what expressions they have to display. With dancers that are deaf they have to rely solely on both the timing and pacing of what it is that they are doing: dance starts, move their legs … 1… 2 … 3 twirls, hop and jump …1… 2 … 3 statuesque poises, look to your left/right and gradually raise both arms till they are high above the head … 1… 2… 3 then repeat the following dance moves a further four times. And that is how deaf dancers get around the routines, and is how Rose does her dance steps whenever she is performing.Â
Every so often I do look up the American version of the show on Wikipedia and was pleasantly surprised that their version was already ahead of ours. In 2008 actress, activist, and author, Marlee Matlin made history by becoming the first deaf contestant to take part in the series. Then recently, back in 2016, they had their second deaf contestant take part in their program, model, actor, and deaf activist, Nyle DiMarco. Now, whilst Marlee was the sixth person to be eliminated in her series, Nyle, along with his professional dance partner went on to win in theirs. Now if people like Marlee, Nyle, and Rose can successfully take part in shows like this then I certainly think that it can actually show us that deaf people can defy this whole stigma when it comes to dancing. So, what if they can’t hear the beat of the music, as long as they can remember the timing and expression then they can go out firing, and also be something of a trailblazer as well, I, for one, definitely think that programs like Strictly should definitely continue to have deaf contestants on their program as for one thing they have got the talent to bring to the dance floor. Also, it has certainly helped in reducing any concerns or issues that some people may actually have about individuals who decide to take on a career in dance.
As one further example, did you ever see the music video for Will.I.am and The Script for Hall of Fame? Well in the video there is a young woman who aspires to be a ballet dancer despite being deaf herself. There’s a scene in the video, which is set at an audition, in which she puts her hand on a speaker so as to ‘feel’ the beat and be guided by it. At the conclusion of the music video, she is seen as having defied all odds and successfully become a ballet dancer.
