They can’t hear the words, but that didn’t stop a group of deaf performing arts professionals from making a beautiful video, now going viral, set to the song “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen in American Sign Language (ASL).
The video features two deaf performers – Amber Zion and Jason Listman – signing the words while special effects sub for snow and ice. Amber and Jason are both deaf, as was everybody involved in the production, according to the notes in the video.
“This is a music video created in American Sign Language out of love towards Frozen ‘s hit song, ‘Let It Go.’ This music video was created with a team consisting of a 100% deaf cast and crew. We believe in supporting deaf people everywhere and allowing the sign language community access to one of the best songs in music history.”
The video was sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). The Institute is designed to help deaf people prepare for careers in technology and the performing arts.
The primary mission of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf is to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with outstanding state-of-the-art technical and professional education programs, complemented by a strong arts and sciences curriculum, that prepare them to live and work in the mainstream of a rapidly changing global community and enhance their lifelong learning.
The NTID isn’t the only group of deaf professionals posting music videos on YouTube. Every year, Deaf Camp, a summer camp for deaf teenagers, produces an online music video featuring popular songs performed in ASL; most recently, the camp produced their own ASL version of Pharrell’s “Happy,” according to this Inquisitr report.
Being unable to hear doesn’t mean a person can’t enjoy music, as the YouTube comments section for this video makes clear. User Laura Jolly sums up the deaf performer’s video the best: “So cool turning gestures into magic!”
[Image courtesy of: Indie Wire ]
