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Sign language helps concertgoers jam at Taste of Chicago :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Music
Darrell Robinson raised his hands and danced along with the crowd during Friday's Salt-N-Pepa Taste of Chicago concert, alternately looking at the rappers and a woman, tucked into the corner of the stage, using sign language.
Robinson, 25, of south suburban Glenwood, is deaf. But that did not stop him from completely participating in the concert experience, from dancing in time with the help of a heavy bass to laughing as Salt teased her "baby daddy" during her performance of "Whatta Man."
"It's really great," he said through a friend who interpreted sign language for him. "The interpreters help a lot."
Since the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, concert promoters are required to provide sign language interpreting for those who request it.
The City of Chicago staffs all its major music festivals -- including mainstage Taste of Chicago acts, the Blues Festival and the Gospel Music Festival -- with interpreters for the hearing impaired.
For deaf concertgoers, it's a way to tap in to the energy of the crowd and performers.
"It's awesome," said Anginelle Nevels, 31, who was at the Taste of Chicago with two hearing-impaired friends. "It just makes them feel comfortable, like they belong here, like everyone is equal."
The interpreters say it's a high-energy, demanding job that allows them to work next to legends of music and theater and connect with the deaf community.
"How much cooler is it to be on the stage with one of your favorite performers and sign the song so people who come to the concert can enjoy the music?" said Walter Mathews of Chicago. Mathews, who has been interpreting for 26 years, danced, sang along and signed during Friday's show.
The numbers of deaf people attending concerts is increasing locally because of the quality of the interpreting, several deaf concertgoers said.
"What we're trying to do is give the deaf audience the same emotional connection that the hearing audience has," said Patti Shore Kaden, an interpreter who worked Friday's Taste of Chicago concert and has signed Billy Joel and Elton John concerts and Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatre performances. "We want the deaf audience to be in the same arena. We have to give that visually."
Bringing music to people who can't hear it isn't easy.
More than interpreting lyrics from English to American Sign Language, the interpreter seeks to convey the tone, rhythm and meaning of music and words in a performance they can't anticipate.
While interpreters practice with the music beforehand, they don't always get a set list and don't have any idea what the performer will play or say.
"We are really trained like an improvisational actor," Shore Kaden said.
Chicago's concert interpreters come from Deaf Communication by Innovation, a North Side company started in 2004 by Raymond Rodgers, who is deaf. Rodgers wanted to elevate the level of interpretation available in several areas, including courtrooms, doctor's offices and theater performances.
"Deaf people want to be able to relax their eyes, relax their mind, and they want to sit there and enjoy the show," Rodgers said.
Rodgers said deaf people, like hearing people, have varying levels of interest in music. His interest in music coincided with the rise of MTV.
"It's perfect for us," he said of MTV. "It's very visual, their way of expressing music through visual arts."
Matt Dans, a Deaf Communication by Innovation employee, said he grew up in a deaf family and attended deaf schools though he had some level of hearing.
"My grandparents are hearing, so they exposed me to a lot of music when I was growing up," he said. "I became hooked on music."
Beyond the music, concerts are an experience, Dans said.
"Deaf people are like any other group of people," he said. "They want to be involved."
Darrell Robinson raised his hands and danced along with the crowd during Friday's Salt-N-Pepa Taste of Chicago concert, alternately looking at the rappers and a woman, tucked into the corner of the stage, using sign language.
Robinson, 25, of south suburban Glenwood, is deaf. But that did not stop him from completely participating in the concert experience, from dancing in time with the help of a heavy bass to laughing as Salt teased her "baby daddy" during her performance of "Whatta Man."
"It's really great," he said through a friend who interpreted sign language for him. "The interpreters help a lot."
Since the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, concert promoters are required to provide sign language interpreting for those who request it.
The City of Chicago staffs all its major music festivals -- including mainstage Taste of Chicago acts, the Blues Festival and the Gospel Music Festival -- with interpreters for the hearing impaired.
For deaf concertgoers, it's a way to tap in to the energy of the crowd and performers.
"It's awesome," said Anginelle Nevels, 31, who was at the Taste of Chicago with two hearing-impaired friends. "It just makes them feel comfortable, like they belong here, like everyone is equal."
The interpreters say it's a high-energy, demanding job that allows them to work next to legends of music and theater and connect with the deaf community.
"How much cooler is it to be on the stage with one of your favorite performers and sign the song so people who come to the concert can enjoy the music?" said Walter Mathews of Chicago. Mathews, who has been interpreting for 26 years, danced, sang along and signed during Friday's show.
The numbers of deaf people attending concerts is increasing locally because of the quality of the interpreting, several deaf concertgoers said.
"What we're trying to do is give the deaf audience the same emotional connection that the hearing audience has," said Patti Shore Kaden, an interpreter who worked Friday's Taste of Chicago concert and has signed Billy Joel and Elton John concerts and Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatre performances. "We want the deaf audience to be in the same arena. We have to give that visually."
Bringing music to people who can't hear it isn't easy.
More than interpreting lyrics from English to American Sign Language, the interpreter seeks to convey the tone, rhythm and meaning of music and words in a performance they can't anticipate.
While interpreters practice with the music beforehand, they don't always get a set list and don't have any idea what the performer will play or say.
"We are really trained like an improvisational actor," Shore Kaden said.
Chicago's concert interpreters come from Deaf Communication by Innovation, a North Side company started in 2004 by Raymond Rodgers, who is deaf. Rodgers wanted to elevate the level of interpretation available in several areas, including courtrooms, doctor's offices and theater performances.
"Deaf people want to be able to relax their eyes, relax their mind, and they want to sit there and enjoy the show," Rodgers said.
Rodgers said deaf people, like hearing people, have varying levels of interest in music. His interest in music coincided with the rise of MTV.
"It's perfect for us," he said of MTV. "It's very visual, their way of expressing music through visual arts."
Matt Dans, a Deaf Communication by Innovation employee, said he grew up in a deaf family and attended deaf schools though he had some level of hearing.
"My grandparents are hearing, so they exposed me to a lot of music when I was growing up," he said. "I became hooked on music."
Beyond the music, concerts are an experience, Dans said.
"Deaf people are like any other group of people," he said. "They want to be involved."