Who says you can’t dance without hearing music? Mumbai school’s hearing-impaired students groove to vibrations

Most dancers wait for the taal to begin and it serves them the purpose of making an entry But thatrsquos not what happens in the open hall of Rochiram Thadani High School for Hearing Handicapped in Chembur In the vibrant hall silence replaces sound yet students move with striking precision rhythm travels silently under their feet and bodies leap mdash just by fixing their eyes on their dance teacherrsquos gestures signs and each otherrsquos cuesRocharam High School of ChemburThis World Dance Day celebrated every year on April 29 midday brings to you the story of deaf students of Rochiram Thadani High School for Hearing Handicapped where they are redefining the connection between music and dance As they feel dance is not something that is solely dependent on the hearing capacity rather something that you feel in every heartbeatrdquoPrincipal Vanita DhuriTeacher speaksNivedita Damle dance teacherldquoI have been teaching dance at the school for the last 28 years Instead of relying on traditional auditory cues these children use visual signals sign language and floor vibrations to learn the choreographies Large speakers placed on the ground allow them to sense beats through their feetof the beats using my hands helps them stay in sync with one another and the song Also whenever I start teaching them choreography I make them read and understand the lyrics so that it becomes easier for them to grasp the steps Even during the recent Kala Ghoda Arts Festival where our students had two performances I stood in front of them only as a backup After giving the first cue I barely had to give counts throughout the rest of the choreographyrdquoParents and students speakReshma Deepak Kadam mother of DarshitaldquoWhen my daughter first told me that she wanted to learn dance I was delighted It was because even if she couldnrsquot hear by birth right from the time she started walking whenever she saw someone dancing on the TV or whenever there was loud music being played close to her she would start grooving Initially we never understood how she could understand that music is playing But later when she actually started learning dance at school the teachers explained that itrsquos the magic of vibrations Today as I see her perform at multiple events that school arranges I feel very proud of herrdquoKrishna Vinod Sutar mother of SukrutildquoYou will not be able to understand that my daughter cannot hear In fact all students here grasp the steps so sharply that it is impossible for anyone to know that they are deafrdquoExpert speaksSupriya More child psychologist and dance therapistldquoWhile most people assume hearing is a prerequisite for dance the hearingimpaired brain experiences rhythm through tactile vibrations and visual cues As a psychologist and dance therapist I see dance as a form of ldquoemotional literacyrdquo for those with hearing impairment It provides a vital outlet for processing complex feelings that words sometimes cannot reach By mastering movement they arenrsquot just learning to dance but also to build the selfesteem and emotional resilience necessary to navigate the world with confidence In my work with hearingimpaired students Irsquove observed that dance is a powerful psychological tool as it allows our students to translate vibrations into emotional expression For a child with hearing impairment movement becomes a language of selfdiscovery It is a misconception that you need to hear music to feel it our students use rhythm to build motor skills and psychological resilience The joy and confidence they display on stage is a testament to the fact that their potential is never limited by their silencerdquoDance expert speaksPriya Sumedh Samarth Kathak dancer and founder of Sattvik Kala AcademyldquoI have a student who has difficulty in hearing However she has a strong grasping power which helps her not just to learn dance quickly but also to understand rhythm through vibrationsThe only challenge that I face while teaching her is the fact that sometimes I tend to forget that she can lip read So when she stands with other girls in the class I have to make a conscious effort to look in the direction where she is standing so that she understands better But never have I felt that she is unable to dance in a group or that it is disturbing to teach her with other girlsrdquo