An exceptionally high level of talent and creativity was on display at last Saturday’s National Finals of the Deaf Dance Competition, at the Little Theatre in Kingston. Organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), in attendance were representatives from the Commission and from telecoms giant, Claro, which is the title sponsor for the JCDC festival showcase in a historic 60 million dollar, three-year sponsorship arrangement.

The Deaf Dance Competition, now in its fifth year, has served to remind Jamaicans that the deaf and otherwise hearing impaired are just as creative and talented as the rest of the population.

This year’s competition is particularly significant because the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) has decided to use the medium of dance to spread the message of HIV/AIDS prevention to the deaf and hearing impaired community.

In her opening address, executive officer for the (JAD), Iris Soutar, explained that the messages in the various media campaigns are lost on the deaf and hearing impaired. They obviously cannot hear what is on the radio and they are often unable to understand the messages in the print media due to illiteracy, which, she made clear, is not a problem limited to the deaf. Also, the messages transmitted via television do not connect with members of the community because deaf people are not represented in any of the images portrayed.

Soutar added that the medium of dance was chosen because people connect well with movement, whether they can hear or not. The truth of this statement was borne out in the 13 items presented during the competition as the audience, made up primarily of the hearing impaired, erupted into spontaneous applause, while those who were able to hear cheered on the dancers loudly. The dancers also sometimes connected so well with the rhythm that it was hard to believe they could not hear the music. Through their movements, they alternatively offered praise to God, showed how choices impact one’s life and, in one particularly poignant piece, demonstrated how HIV attacks and destroys the body.

The latter, a dance skit entitled “Viral Destruction”, was done by students from the Danny Williams School for the Deaf in the Class 3 (ages 10-12) Modern Contemporary category. The girls were dressed in white and silver, representing the body’s cells, while the boys were dressed in red, yellow, green and white and represented the virus. Both groups of dancers started out at opposite ends of the stage and gradually began to intermingle. Thunderous applause erupted from the spell-bound audience when all the dancers wrapped themselves together in a piece of red cloth and then transitioned into a sequence of intricate movements on the floor. Eventually, the ‘virus’ overpowered the ‘body’, leaving the girls writhing on the floor. At the end of the piece, the audience jumped to its feet and cheered wildly. Not surprisingly, the piece was awarded the gold medal in the category and, along with Choices, another gold-medal piece, done by Lister/Mair Gilby School for the Deaf, tied for Best Dance Skit.

Commenting on the competition, Joseph Oates, marketing manager for Claro, said he was pleasantly surprised at the level of talent on display and lauded the dancers and their teachers for the clarity of the messages they transmitted to the audience. “We are proud to be associated with the Festival of the Arts because of the opportunities it has given and continues to give our young people to show their talent and grow creatively. We are especially proud of the Deaf Dance Competition because it is allowing these children to express themselves in a way that many people take for granted,” Oates commented.

Margaret Daley, choreographer for Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf, which won three medals — two silver and one gold — said her students have benefited greatly from entering the competition.

“This gives them exposure, makes them more expressive. It gives them a feeling of self-worth, like they are a part of the society and not left out. The benefits are also reflected in their schoolwork as well, as they are able to perform better,” Daley noted.

Maureen Simmonds, principal of the Danny Williams School, was beside herself with excitement at her students’ performances. She also cited the improved academic performance of the students and also explained that because of their stellar performances in the annual competition, they are often billed to perform at corporate events.

The choreographers, some of whom are also deaf or hearing impaired, participated in two workshops guided by Howard Daley, a dance lecturer at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Attendees were taught about the various dance styles and techniques, as well as HIV/AIDS and how to express messages about the disease to the deaf and hearing impaired through movement.

Thirteen items were presented by eight institutions in the categories of Modern Contemporary, Dance Drama, Praise Dance, Popular Dance and Dance Skit. The institutions represented were Danny Williams School for the Deaf, St Christopher’s School for the Deaf, Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf, Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf, May Pen Unit for the Deaf, Jamaica Association for the Deaf and Jamaica Deaf Empowerment Avocation Foundation and Deaf Community (J-DEAF).