A company of 12 deaf performers from Samoa prove to KATHERINE HOBY that the beat goes on, even if you can't hear it.
Just because you're deaf doesn't mean you can't hear the rhythm.
In fact, members of Samoa's Silent World Theatre were performing one day when the power went off and the music cut out. They just kept on moving.
The 12 deaf performers may not hear the beat in the traditional sense, but they can sense it, see it, feel its vibrations, and maybe even taste it.
The students from Apia's Loto Taumafai Education Centre for the Disabled are touring New Zealand, sponsored by Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA).
School principal Peter West, originally from Rotorua, hopes the students will entertain and educate audiences in New Zealand as they have done at home.
"This theatre has done more to convince ordinary Samoans of the potential for people with disabilities to play a meaningful role in society than any number of public relations campaigns," he says.
The school caters for physically disabled and deaf students and at present has a role of 61.
Mr West says a bout of rubella struck Samoa about 20 years ago, the cause of many of the Apia students' hearing loss.
The theatre group was formed in 1997, although members have changed as students leave the school. After a stuttering start, it has found its feet in the past two years.
Mr West says participation in the group is a tremendous confidence booster for students.
"It has done wonders for their self-esteem. It builds them up to being proud of themselves and of their heritage. After a while they don't think of themselves as disabled."
The theatre company performs a variety of acts, including traditional Samoan siva (dance), contemporary dance - choreographed by one of the students - skits and mime.
The Silent World Theatre is the only known group of its kind in Samoa, perhaps in the South Pacific.
The participants have cast aside traditional methods of learning their craft in favour of "sign language, watching each other and hours of practice," Mr West says.
"Of course it is harder to learn the dances. You have to learn by eye, not ear. I think they feel the vibrations in the floorboards, too."
Watching them perform at Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School in Mangere, the group's interaction with one other and the audience makes up for any lack of hearing.
The loud, traditional drum beat signals the entrance of the warriors for the opening dance, flanks, shoulders and backs gleaming with oil.
Their enthusiasm shines through as they talk animatedly with their hands and smile rows of brilliant white teeth, like friendly barracuda.
The performers clearly get a kick out of traditional cultural performances such as the slap dance as they whoop, stamp and whistle.
The taualuga (last dance) is a raucous, vibrant, impromptu event with members of the audience leaping up to join in.
And although the group cannot hear, the international language of delight and applause brings the message home. Just like the rhythm, they don't need to hear it to know it's there.
* The Silent World Theatre performs at Samoa House, 283 Karangahape Rd, at 10 am today and at Owen Gilmour Theatre, Auckland College of Education, 60 Epsom Ave, at 7 pm. It will also be at the College of Education's Music Auditorium at noon and 7 pm tomorrow.
Rhythm breaks the sound barrier
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