Feeling the Rhythm

On Nov. 23, a group of children sat in a large open room in the Hogan Campus Center and watched their parents dance the waltz, the rumba, and the salsa, even though the parents could not hear the music. This marked the last day of Ballroom Dance Instruction for the Deaf, a weekly program started this semester by Michelle Arata ’09 and Judy Freedman Fask, director of the Deaf Studies program at Holy Cross.

Arata, who teaches the classes, came up with the idea to fulfill the community-based learning component of her Intermediate American Sign Language course. She approached Professor Fask, who advertised throughout the local Deaf community to generate interest in the lessons.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to dance for youth, and we really wanted to do something geared toward the adult Deaf community,” Arata says.

And the Deaf community has responded. The program boasts an average of seven students per week from the Worcester Deaf community, and several more have expressed an interest in joining next semester.

Arata conducted the classes completely in American Sign Language, a tough assignment considering she has been taking Deaf Studies classes for only one year. However, she found that her dance students were always willing to help her along when she was at a loss for words (signs).

“I’ve learned a lot through signing in the ballroom dance class — a lot comes through gestures. And it’s great because then they get to learn something that I love,” she says.

Fask, who is a student in the class (though she is not deaf), also noticed a special learning dynamic in the 90-minute lessons since they began on Sept. 14.

“The Deaf adults teach Michelle and the other Holy Cross students signs for things that would not necessarily come up in the traditional ASL class. Michelle teaches the adults how to dance, so with that interaction there is always learning in progress,” Fask says.

The progress is manifest in Arata’s method of instruction. In lieu of music, she coaches them across the dance floor by teaching them to count and “feel the rhythm,” which has yielded positive results.

“People say, ‘Deaf people can’t dance — they can’t hear the music!’ You don’t need the music. You just saw them dance!” Arata says.

A biology major with a premedical concentration and member of the Deaf Studies certificate program from Holbrook, Arata is also the co-chair of the Holy Cross Ballroom Dance club and competitive team. She looks to continue Ballroom Dance Instruction for the Deaf next semester, hoping to teach the foxtrot, the tango, swing dancing, and the cha-cha.

“It’s really great to see what I do for fun integrated with academics,” she says. “You find that what you love, other people love also.”

The students were treated to a small buffet after their final lesson, as well as a T-shirt featuring the Holy Cross Ballroom Dance club insignia and the finger-spelled letters D-A-N-C-E printed underneath it.

By Anthony Curotto ’09

Pictured: Michelle Arata '09 communicates through sign language.

Related Information:

• American Sign Language/Deaf Studies