HISTORY is being made this summer as Damany Hughes, a recent student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), takes the stage with the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) as its first-ever D/deaf performer.

D/deaf is used to describe people who identify as culturally deaf and are actively engaged with the deaf community.

Hughes’s ground-breaking debut marks a major milestone for diversity and inclusion in the Jamaican performing arts landscape.

His passion for movement led him to discover dance not through sound, but through sensation — feeling rhythm in the floorboards and the energy pulsing through the air:

“I would watch dancers in silence and feel everything they were expressing. That’s when I realised, dance isn’t just about music…it’s about connection, expression, and freedom, said Hughes.

His path to becoming a professional dancer was far from conventional. He relied on visual cues, muscle memory, and internal rhythm to master complex choreography:

“It’s a different way of dancing, but it’s just as powerful, sometimes even more, because I dance with my whole being,” added Hughes.

Now set to formally graduate from EMCVPA this November, as one of the first D/deaf students of the School of Dance, Hughes has already made his mark as a professional dancer, with his success and professional growth being a powerful testament to the necessity of an inclusive educational environment.

“I have learned much more from him than he has learned from us over the years. It is so nice to see how much he has grown and how open and welcoming the school has been to someone with his challenges and how differently they learn. And that has been a part of our development process as faculty members,” said Marlon Simms, dean of EMCVPA School of Dance.

Now, as Hughes realises his dream to perform with NDTC, he is also thinking of the future — for himself and for other creatives with a disability:

“My journey with dance has only just begun. If you are interested [in the arts] you can find support to be included. The arts world needs you. Your differences are not a weakness; they are your strength, your originality, your power,” said Hughes.

As he steps boldly into the national spotlight, his performance is not just a personal triumph—it’s a turning point for the wider arts community and the EMCVPA celebrates this remarkable achievement.