Dancing To Their Heartbeats

By: Ali Obaidat

Without drums or flutes, hearing-impaired young boys and girls enrolled at PRCS perform popular Palestinian dances as a means to express themselves through their own dabkeh troupe. Since 2010, five young boys and five young girls from PRCS Total Communication School have been training to become popular dabkeh dancers and execute folkloric performances through sign language. They know that when there is a will there is a way. They have all excelled, and they now travel within Palestine to perform their dances and shows.

Maher Ayyash, who trains the troupe, said: “The troupe was established to fulfill the wish of hearing-impaired students, who wanted to prove that they are capable of creativity just like their peers. It was hard for them at the beginning. However, they overcame initial difficulties. The troupe has taken part in numerous PRCS events and ceremonies as well as in local events including the Safa Popular Arts Festival and the Palestine Creativity Festival. The audience is always impressed and very surprised when they learn that the troupe’s members are all hearing-impaired. I urge relevant bodies to support this troupe which reflects a unique case of creativity and shows that they are very perseverant and capable of being creative and distinctive, despite their disability”.

Ms. Ghada Mansour, Headmistress of the Total Communication School, said that the troupe was created in order to enable hearing-impaired students to practice extra-curricular activities. The troupe has succeeded thanks to its determination and to the support it receives from PRCS.

Hearing-impaired students said that the troupe represents them, brings them closer to their communities, provides them with a recreational activity and helps polish their skills. It is also an open door through which they can demand their full rights just like their non-disabled peers.