Feeling the beat

Deaf and hearing-impaired dancers from across the island gathered at the Little Theatre for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) Deaf Dance competition.

The passionate, skillful participants competed for top honours in the festival which featured dance items that ranged from creative folk to praise, modern contemporary and pop. The awe-struck audience watched as the dancers moved to the beat while commanding the stage for each performance.

With well-choreographed routines and colorful costumes, students from Digicel Foundation’s partner, Abilities Foundation, delighted the audience with their highly energised piece for which they took the trophy for Best Performance in the creative folk category. The students also won in the senior duet section with their piece ‘I Am Not Alone’. The Port Antonio Unit for the Deaf received the best overall performance in the intermediate category for their piece ‘Boys Just Having Fun’, while The Abilities Foundation won for best overall performance in the adult section for ‘Jolification Time’. The St Christopher's School for the Deaf also won for best overall drama/skit for their performance entitled Walk Away.