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All-male deaf dance troupe to perform at AACC <br /> - Broadneck
Nobody's perfect, but these guys are close. The high-energy Wild Zappers, an all-deaf dance company that tours regionally and nationally, will perform at Anne Arundel Community College at 7 p.m. Friday, at the Pascal Center for Performing Arts.
The group just returned from a December tour of Hong Kong and is preparing to head to Guyana, South America, in April.
The Greenbelt-based group promises to unleash eye-poppin', auditorium rockin' moves and rattle the stage boards with "Let's Sign and Dance," a fast-paced show that blends jazz, funk and hip-hop dance styles with American Sign Language and popular music. Prepare to be dazzled.
Nan Pennington, who works in the college's department of Records & Registration, is vice president of the ASL Club, a 30-member organization comprised of deaf and hearing members.
"I've never seen Wild Zappers before, but several of my deaf friends told me about them. They raved about them," Mrs. Pennington said. "They told me the Wild Zappers are phenomenal and they'd gladly pay double to see them."
She said the club strives to have deaf performers visit the campus at least once a semester, and, monthly, the ASL Club sponsors social get-togethers, bowling parties and picnics.
The Wild Zappers was founded in 1989. Its spokesman is Fred Beam, executive director of Invisible Hands Inc., a nonprofit group that promotes deaf awareness through the performing arts. The Wild Zappers is just one of the companies under the Invisible Hands umbrella. Mr. Beam is also a professional dancer and actor.
"We love to do crazy things in dance. Zappers came up because in earlier days we loved to zap each other, like telling jokes," Mr. Beam said. "Later on, it made sense because we zapped the mind of hearing folk who don't believe that the deaf can dance or of any deaf person who underestimates the talents of their own community."
All the members of the troupe are either deaf or hard of hearing. Most of the troupe uses American Sign Language to communicate, but occasionally they will lip read. But, Mr. Beam said, "We prefer to use an ASL interpreter to communicate if it is at a proper function, such as a meeting or a lecture."
The group, he pointed out, was established when its founder Irvine Stewart realized that there was a lack of deaf male dancers in any of the dance companies. In a dance company in which he was a member, he noticed there were mostly female dancers. The focus was on the ladies.
"They got awesome costumes while the male dancers got just one-piece unitards." Worse, he noted, the guys only had one job: picking up the girls and lifting them into the air.
He tried to get more guys involved in dance. But the men said they were uncomfortable or didn't want to be labeled. The solution, he figured, was an all-male deaf troupe.
"Irvine got together with me and Warren "Wawa" Snipe and discussed the idea of having a male dance company," Mr. Beam said in an e-mail interview.
"We want to set up the goal to have the guys to do something that is safe. We know that many deaf males want to be a dancer like those on music videos. It is like football players coming together for a cause. We want to give them an opportunity to perform and expose deaf awareness through dance around the world."
Whether they say it or sign it, the group's message is simple: "We deaf people can do anything except hear. Dance is for everyone."
Wild Zappers is on the road constantly, with 15 to 20 shows a month, and educational theater programs in schools 3 or 4 times a week.
This week, they're touring North Carolina. They've strutted on the best stages, from the Apollo in Harlem to the National Archives and Ronald Reagan Building in D.C., to the finest halls of Australia and Japan. They are popular at Disney World, Summerfest in Wisconsin and deaf festivals and events around the country.
When not on tour, members work as choreographers, teachers, workshop presenters, actors and dancers. During a performance, the Wild Zappers can "hear" the music, Mr. Beam said, by feeling the vibration.
"We must have loud speakers. We follow the rhythm by counting from 1 to 8. Some of the members depend on the sound as it rises and falls. They don't necessarily hear the words," he said.
"We're coming to Anne Arundel Community College because I guess they have faith that we can educate and entertain others about deaf culture through performing arts, especially through sign language and dance."
---
Open Seating tickets are $8 for AACC students and $10 for the public. For tickets and information, contact the box office at 410-777-2457.
Nobody's perfect, but these guys are close. The high-energy Wild Zappers, an all-deaf dance company that tours regionally and nationally, will perform at Anne Arundel Community College at 7 p.m. Friday, at the Pascal Center for Performing Arts.
The group just returned from a December tour of Hong Kong and is preparing to head to Guyana, South America, in April.
The Greenbelt-based group promises to unleash eye-poppin', auditorium rockin' moves and rattle the stage boards with "Let's Sign and Dance," a fast-paced show that blends jazz, funk and hip-hop dance styles with American Sign Language and popular music. Prepare to be dazzled.
Nan Pennington, who works in the college's department of Records & Registration, is vice president of the ASL Club, a 30-member organization comprised of deaf and hearing members.
"I've never seen Wild Zappers before, but several of my deaf friends told me about them. They raved about them," Mrs. Pennington said. "They told me the Wild Zappers are phenomenal and they'd gladly pay double to see them."
She said the club strives to have deaf performers visit the campus at least once a semester, and, monthly, the ASL Club sponsors social get-togethers, bowling parties and picnics.
The Wild Zappers was founded in 1989. Its spokesman is Fred Beam, executive director of Invisible Hands Inc., a nonprofit group that promotes deaf awareness through the performing arts. The Wild Zappers is just one of the companies under the Invisible Hands umbrella. Mr. Beam is also a professional dancer and actor.
"We love to do crazy things in dance. Zappers came up because in earlier days we loved to zap each other, like telling jokes," Mr. Beam said. "Later on, it made sense because we zapped the mind of hearing folk who don't believe that the deaf can dance or of any deaf person who underestimates the talents of their own community."
All the members of the troupe are either deaf or hard of hearing. Most of the troupe uses American Sign Language to communicate, but occasionally they will lip read. But, Mr. Beam said, "We prefer to use an ASL interpreter to communicate if it is at a proper function, such as a meeting or a lecture."
The group, he pointed out, was established when its founder Irvine Stewart realized that there was a lack of deaf male dancers in any of the dance companies. In a dance company in which he was a member, he noticed there were mostly female dancers. The focus was on the ladies.
"They got awesome costumes while the male dancers got just one-piece unitards." Worse, he noted, the guys only had one job: picking up the girls and lifting them into the air.
He tried to get more guys involved in dance. But the men said they were uncomfortable or didn't want to be labeled. The solution, he figured, was an all-male deaf troupe.
"Irvine got together with me and Warren "Wawa" Snipe and discussed the idea of having a male dance company," Mr. Beam said in an e-mail interview.
"We want to set up the goal to have the guys to do something that is safe. We know that many deaf males want to be a dancer like those on music videos. It is like football players coming together for a cause. We want to give them an opportunity to perform and expose deaf awareness through dance around the world."
Whether they say it or sign it, the group's message is simple: "We deaf people can do anything except hear. Dance is for everyone."
Wild Zappers is on the road constantly, with 15 to 20 shows a month, and educational theater programs in schools 3 or 4 times a week.
This week, they're touring North Carolina. They've strutted on the best stages, from the Apollo in Harlem to the National Archives and Ronald Reagan Building in D.C., to the finest halls of Australia and Japan. They are popular at Disney World, Summerfest in Wisconsin and deaf festivals and events around the country.
When not on tour, members work as choreographers, teachers, workshop presenters, actors and dancers. During a performance, the Wild Zappers can "hear" the music, Mr. Beam said, by feeling the vibration.
"We must have loud speakers. We follow the rhythm by counting from 1 to 8. Some of the members depend on the sound as it rises and falls. They don't necessarily hear the words," he said.
"We're coming to Anne Arundel Community College because I guess they have faith that we can educate and entertain others about deaf culture through performing arts, especially through sign language and dance."
---
Open Seating tickets are $8 for AACC students and $10 for the public. For tickets and information, contact the box office at 410-777-2457.