Creating Indentity: The Deaf, Dance and Sensory Games

Abstract

This project aims at finding alternatives in teaching dance to deaf students through the Sensory Games approach. The deaf no doubt dance, but just as everything has its own rhythm, the deaf dance to the rhythm they feel and see. In this thesis, I have capitalized on the presence of the other senses and have developed processes of effectively teaching dance to the deaf child. It is hoped that these findings will serve as model for all interested in teaching dance to the deaf. For this reason, different approaches have been designed using selected Ghanaian children play games to serve as catalyst upon which other forms of complex dance routines can be built. This is termed the Sensory Games approach. Other means have also been designed to present the hearing impaired child for performance. The deaf child wants to pass as “normal” so he/she would also want to sing, rap, dance and act as he/she sees being done on the television. It is in this vein that I have decided to make the world of dance accessible to the deaf here in Ghana, to enhance their self expression, voices and experiences. Their stories, otherwise out of reach can then be heard and seen on stage as they use this medium to propagate societal values and what Madison (2005) calls the „discourses of social justice.