29 Sep
2023
29 Sep
'23
5:27 p.m.
There have been lots of useful suggestions. I have never called contra
dances for deaf people, but I have danced contra with blind people (they
are amazing) and I have called barn dances for deaf people. Based on
this I would suggest:
1. Do not single the person out in any way
2. Have a really heavy electric bass in your band(s). The vibrations
will transmit through the floor and the deaf person should be able
to "hear" them. This will give them the most consistent guide to
where they are in a sequence.
3. Consider having a large screen on stage where the dance card is
projected
Michael Barraclough, Manchester (UK)
On 29/09/2023 13:43, Allison Jonjak via Contra Callers wrote:
I've been part of dance communities where blind
dancers are easily
accommodated (with claps during heys etc). Deafness seems like it will
take extra brainstorming to make useful accommodation. (Not only
because some deaf people lip read preferentially over sign language.)
Is it possible to let a deaf dancer take a look at the caller's card
before a dance is taught, to help orient a bit?
Pardon brevity; sent by smartphone.
On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 7:22 AM Mary Collins via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
We have not encountered this but I have friends who sign, having
been teachers who worked with the deaf. Both dancers. I am going
to talk with them about how this could work.
I think signing during the dance would be problematic as the
dancer would need to see the signer and that would take their
attention away from the dance floor.
The caller surely would find it difficult as well. I used to sign
well but lost some over the years; once had a group of deaf
tourists ride in my tour carriage, even signing, holding reins
and being aware of traffic, tour sites and passengers was hugely
difficult.
Having a trained -for- dance interpreter might just work for the
walk through and occasional prompting.
Definitely looking into this.
Mary Collins
Near Buffalo NY
On Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 7:40 AM Allison and Hunt Smith via Contra
Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I recently had a conversation with a dear friend in NH, a
long-time contra dancer, who has an adult daughter who is deaf
(who lives in SF, CA if that helps). Daughter doesn't dance,
because she can't hear the calls and gets confused on the
dance floor. She wishes that, during walk-throughs, the calls
could be signed as well as spoken. I'm writing to ask if any
of you have encountered this request? AFAIK there are no deaf
dancers in my community in the Maine highlands, but I'd be
willing to learn some basic signs to go along with my
teaching. I think it would be challenging to sign as I call
once the dance gets started, though.
Thoughts?
Allison Aldrich Smith
--
www.huntandallison.net <http://www.huntandallison.net>
www.info@thsmaritime.com
www.centralhallcommons.org <http://www.centralhallcommons.org>
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