Hear Me to See You — What a Great Premiere

Last Friday marked the premiere of "HEAR me to SEE you", an interactive performance involving dance, music, and audience participation. Created by Aruban composer Xavier Geerman and Greek choreographer Vicky Angelidou, the project began as an experiment to understand the disabilities of being blind or deaf.

They spent a month practicing with blindfolds or ear protectors to inhibit sight or hearing, researching how this changes performance and finding ways to interact with blind and deaf audience members.

Mirjam Damstra-Boon, legally blind since age 17, attended the performance. Her presence was meaningful to the blindfolded audience — everything they experienced could be directly confirmed. Jofke van Loon, founder of Taktila, experienced the performance both blind and deaf, feeling great isolation yet sensing others only through touch.

Both creators realized that humans sometimes underestimate the importance of sound, and that every experience of this world is in some way restricted. They looked forward to their next performance that upcoming weekend.