The national finals of the Deaf Dance Competition, organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and now in its fifth year, was held at the Little Theatre in St Andrew on Saturday, with representatives of telecommunications firm Claro in attendance.
Claro is the title sponsor for the JCDC in an historic $60 million-dollar three-year sponsorship arrangement.
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.
Spontaneous applause
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 representing the virus.
Gold-medal piece
Their 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.
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," she said. "The benefits are also reflected in their schoolwork as well, as they are able to perform better."
DANCE COMPETITION FACTS
Thirteen items were presented by eight institutions in the following categories:
The institutions represented in the competition were: