Inclusion moves forward: Deaf Hong Kong dancer on using sign language in choreography, movement to express himself

“I am Deaf, but I don’t consider myself sick,” said the hip-hop dancer, speaking to Young Post through a sign-language interpreter. “Even without hearing, I can express with my hands and body movements.”

The dancer explained that describing himself as “Deaf” with the capital D meant he accepted his identity. Some advocacy groups also use Deaf to refer to those who have not been able to hear for their whole lives and who use sign language as their primary form of communication.

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“Some people might think it is more appropriate to use the word ‘disabled’ or ‘those with hearing loss’ to describe us, but in fact, these words only focus on the loss instead of ourselves,” shared Wong, who has long been bridging the gap between the Deaf and hearing communities, such as by incorporating sign language in choreography.

In 2010, he set up Fun Forest, a performance troupe for people of various abilities to express themselves through dance. The group now has 28 members including Wong.

In February, Fun Forest is putting on Sign in Dance, a heartening show based on Wong’s life story of defying all the odds in pursuing a career in dance.

As one of the few theatrical performances in Hong Kong composed of sign language, dance and drama, the show hopes to promote inclusiveness.

“People might think we [Deaf people] have some barriers, but in fact, we are capable of doing many things,” said the choreographer. “Art is limitless.”

“I hope the performance can inspire others to stay true to themselves and chase their dreams.”

Hong Kong has 47,000 deaf people, and 3,000 of them use sign language in their regular communication, according to the most recent government data in 2020.

With only one school for the deaf and 56 professional sign-language interpreters, the city has failed to provide enough support to this group and promote their language. The needs of deafness are often invisible in society as most people cannot identify them by their appearance.

Wong recalled when he was studying industrial design at the Hong Kong Design Institute, where he was surrounded by hearing people and struggled to embrace his deafness.

Without translation support in class, he could not keep up with teachers who spoke too fast, and sometimes he had to rely on text to communicate with his peers.

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“I felt embarrassed to wear my audio device as I didn’t want people to find out I am Deaf. So some people thought I was a foreigner,” he recalled. “No one understood me. It was like we were from two different worlds.”

Feeling lost about his identity, the student, 20 years old at the time, was introduced to dance. As he could not hear music, Wong would try to understand a song’s emotion and storyline, and he would feel the tune’s vibrations on the floor to pick up the dance moves.

“Dancing provides an emotional outlet to express myself. Through the moves, I learn to embrace who I am.”

Although he only started dancing in his 20s, Wong’s talent won him a scholarship to study in the US at the renowned Broadway Dance Centre in New York in 2014.

As the school’s first Deaf student, the dancer fought successfully for sign-language interpreting services. Through dance, he realised the Deaf language’s value.

“In Western countries like the US and Finland, there are many Deaf performers who incorporate sign language into choreography,” said Wong, adding that Hong Kong had a long way to go in promoting sign language in all areas of life, including in the performing arts.

After returning to the city in 2015, Wong began promoting mute dance, a choreography integrated with sign language. “Some hearing people may find learning sign language hard, so I hope through mute dance they can find joy in learning the language,” he shared.

Besides working on silent dances, the artist continuously strives to find new ways to promote the Deaf community.

Last year, he joined Xiqu Centre’s Tea House Theatre to facilitate a groundbreaking crossover between Cantonese opera and sign language. The two-day performance saw overwhelming positive support from the community.

“[The Cantonese opera performers] taught me the gestures and movements of the traditional art, while I translated the lines with sign language. We worked together to see how we could add my language into the performance,” recalled the Deaf choreographer.

“During the process, I really experienced inclusion ... and I hope this collaboration will open up more opportunities for the Deaf to shine on stage.”

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Last month, the artist represented the city in an international beauty pageant for the Deaf in Thailand.

Held annually since 2014, Miss & Mister Deaf Universum invited Wong to join the competition as its first contestant from Hong Kong. Under a tight schedule, he only had a few weeks to prepare outfits and performances and learn international sign language.

Never did he expect to win third place.

“It was unbelievable as I just wanted to represent the Deaf of the city to showcase our talent,” he said. “I hope this experience can encourage more Deaf people to express themselves.”

Earlier this month, Wong’s dance crew released a song and music video with a title that translates to “Please Believe” in English, for their upcoming Sign in Dance show. The two-minute YouTube video features performers from all walks of life, such as wheelchair users and people living with autism and mental illness. Its message is about people’s dreams and finding one’s true self.

From choreographing and practising the dance to filming the video, the project took about half a year.

But Wong said the hard work paid off: “Shooting the MV went from 5pm to 3am, but nobody gave up. I was really moved.”

Through the song, the Deaf dancer hopes to convey that everyone is capable of learning sign language and dance: “There are different languages in the world, and sign language is also one of them. I hope people can change their perception of the Deaf as miserable and enter our world with mutual respect and communication.”