REPRESENTING THE PARTICULAR DEAF COMMUNITY
Having been part of the NDP 2020 music movie, as well as an active group in the dance picture since 2008, Redeafinition is no stranger in order to picking up choreography.
While they started as a team comprising a mix of listening to and deaf dancers, they are fully made up of deaf dancers nowadays.
The group was founded by 2 hearing dancers having a passion for the deaf community. It all began with a dance workshop for the deaf, where any deaf individual with an interest in dancing could attend.
“It was then they realised there could be potential in the hard of hearing community. But (they wondered) where there is surely an accessible and safe room for them to develop, ” Ms Merilo informed CNA in a text.
As deaf dancers, the particular Redeafinition crew is also used to misconceptions and misguided remarks.
When people discover that their dancers are deaf, they’re usually “amazed” that deaf people can hear the music, discussed 24-year-old Gan Jun Huan in a text message.
Actually her crew partner, Sharifah Faaiqah Syed Abdullah Alkaff, observed that others tend to have misconceptions that deaf people don’t appreciate music. This is “not true as the most of them love hearing music”, said the 21-year-old.
“The way we all experience music is different from the way hearing people experience songs, but we can nevertheless enjoy it in a full capacity, ” added 22-year-old Lee Yong Cheong.
This lack of recognition about deaf tradition in Singapore offers only made Microsoft Sharifah Faaiqah content and proud with regard to representing her community in the NDP 2022 music video included in Redeafinition.
“It’s important to be aware of the particular deaf community, considering that sometimes there is no accessibility for us. We’re (also) human, ” the lady said.
“We showed the sign language in the music video, mainly because we wanted Singaporeans to know that Singapore Sign Language is our own identity and the language. You can see exactly how comfortable and happy we are signing. ”