The Dance of Words
Over 200,000 people in Canada are deaf. For deaf francophones, Quebec Sign Language is essential to both their identity and their connection to the deaf community. In the past decades, parents and doctors have pushed for hearing aids, cochlear implants and a mainstream education for deaf kids. Yet this thrust into the hearing world has come at a price for some deaf students, who may have trouble following classroom activities and end up being marginalized. The Dance of Words features young artists who have embraced their deaf identity in adulthood after spending a difficult childhood in the grey zone between …
Over 200,000 people in Canada are deaf. For deaf francophones, Quebec Sign Language is essential to both their identity and their connection to the deaf community. In the past decades, parents and doctors have pushed for hearing aids, cochlear implants and a mainstream education for deaf kids. Yet this thrust into the hearing world has come at a price for some deaf students, who may have trouble following classroom activities and end up being marginalized.
The Dance of Words features young artists who have embraced their deaf identity in adulthood after spending a difficult childhood in the grey zone between hearing culture and deaf culture. These emerging artists show how they are using the arts to build a deaf culture that makes them proud. They shine a spotlight on their community while promoting and advancing deaf culture with a keen sensitivity.
-
writingYves Étienne Massicotte
-
researchYves Étienne MassicotteDoris LapierreChantal Deguire
-
directionYves Étienne Massicotte
-
cameraFrançois VinceletteJean-Pierre St-LouisCarl Elster
-
soundMélanie GauthierOlivier Léger
-
editingLouise Côté
-
original musicDaniel Toussaint
-
still photographyFrançois Vincelette
-
camera assistantFrédérique Vincelette
-
production managerDoris Lapierre
-
interpreterBenoît BelecRené BlanchetJosée-Sarah BowerHélène BriseboisRosie-Anne Brisebois-DubéNathalie DesboisLyne GarganoThierry LabontéDenise LefebvreChantal LéonardMarie-Lyne PetitLise St-LouisNicholas Watson
-
assistant editorEmmanuel AlbanoChristopher LoganAmanda Terfloth
-
visual effectsJeff Ridout
-
sound designDaniel Toussaint
-
sound editingDaniel Toussaint
-
foleyLise Wedlock
-
voice recordingGeoffrey Mitchell
-
foley recordingGeoffrey Mitchell
-
musicianDaniel ToussaintMichel Ouellet
-
voice-overKyle GatehouseMary Wall
-
titles in Quebec signed languageChantal Deguire
-
online editingDenis Pilon
-
computer graphicsMélanie Bouchard
-
titlesMélanie Bouchard
-
mixSerge Boivin
-
marketing managerGeneviève Bérard
-
administratorGeneviève DuguayAlexandrine Torres de Figueiredo
-
administrative assistantVanessa EmamAi Rei Dooh-Tousignant
-
technical coordinatorDaniel ClaveauSteve HalléMira Mailhot
-
technical supportPierre DupontMarcus MatyasIsabelle PainchaudPatrick Trahan
-
legal advisorChristian Pitchen
-
producerAnne-Marie RocherDominic Desjardins
-
executive producerJacques TurgeonDominic Desjardins
Although deafness is often seen as a handicap, the people in this film prove that it can be an asset. Ask your students to analyze the film in this vein, to question how differences are viewed in their own community, and to explore the world of deaf people through their language and culture. What suggestions do your students have to better integrate the deaf and improve dialogue and sharing?
More educational content
The Dance of Words, Yves Étienne Massicotte, provided by the National Film Board of Canada