Don't Need To Hear To Hoof It: Gallaudet's Dancers

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REACTION TO MARLEE MATLIN's decision to compete on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" was a collective, "Really?" Not only has the reality show never drawn a celeb whose name is usually preceded by the phrase "Oscar-winner," but Matlin also represents another first for the sequin-studded program: She's deaf.

Until her debut Monday night, many people thought that impaired hearing made cutting a rug impossible. After all, if you can't listen to the music, how can you be moved to, well, move? Just try telling that to Erin Ginn, 23, a member of the Gallaudet Dance Company.

"It's my passion," she signed during a recent rehearsal.

The troupe of 11 women, all students at the university, taps, hip-hops and grand jetés with as much passion as any hearing counterparts. Maybe more, suggests director Diane Hottendorf, since most of them communicate regularly with American Sign Language, which relies exclusively on body movements and facial expression. Dance allows them to elevate that form to an artistic level — even if they're interpreting in utter silence.

Rehearsals aren't as quiet as one might suspect. In fact, those with normal hearing who'd like to keep it should bring earplugs if they drop by.

"We do that to use any auditory enhancement we can," explains Hottendorf. Even if they can't hear the lyrics, many deaf dancers can feel the bass if the volume is pumped up.

That doesn't do much to help Nicole Lamont, 23, who's in her fourth year with the company and can only hear a bit of treble (and thus, has a thing for the stylings of Michael Jackson).

"I can't tell if it's a song or birds chirping," she says. She instead uses visual cues to mark her choreography.

This isn't so different from what happens at an average dance class. But rather than calling out "5-6-7-8" during new material, instructors emphatically whip their fingers into the number signs.

The trick is keeping that rhythm steady with the music while performing intricate steps that make it impossible to keep a constant eye on anyone's hands.

"You have to know the counts," Lamont signs.

The other lifeline for a disoriented dancer? Watch other performers and copy, she adds —at least they'll be off beat together.

That's an unusual occurrence with this accomplished troupe, which has wowed audiences around the globe.

"There are always people who are surprised," says company member Jenelle Thomas, 22. "But our skills show it all."

After 13 years of dance training, it really shouldn't be astonishing how talented Thomas is. But in typical classes, which rely on song lyrics rather than the beat, she's lost.

Lamont has a similar story. At her first dance class, as the only deaf student: "I didn't perform with them. They didn't even tell me when performances were."

Ginn hopes Matlin's mambos can change that for other deaf dancers.

"Finally we see a deaf person in that setting. They'll see that one deaf person can do it. She'll be a role model," she signs. She might even be a champion.

Photo by Marge Ely/Express