Busy summer = few postings if any!
In July, I had the opportunity to represent Minnesota at the 2010 National Association of the Deaf/Miss Deaf America Ambassadorship Program. I took my platform (arts advocacy - what else?) and my talent ("Defying Gravity" from Wicked). The experience itself was very rewarding and the networks I made shall come in handy someday!
Now, for the "arts edge" report - the opening performance we did. Now, there have been some discussion regarding the "Deaf" kids on Fox's Glee and their rendition of "Imagine" by John Lennon. With that in mind, the 11 states and former Miss Deaf America (Michelle Lapides) put on a stellar performance cover of Glee's version of "Dream On!" This time - with choreography included instead of standing stock still. Not perfect, but we're getting there! Once a video has been leaked of the final performance on the final night, it'll be shared up here with you guys! (There is a preliminary version floating around YouTube as we speak...)
We also doctored up the venerable favorite, "The Star Spangled Banner". Instead of having one person sign it while the rest hold flags, we had Michelle sign the entire thing while we girls sang "backup". (Again, when I get the video, clip will be shared). There is a "teaser" view at DeafNation's coverage of the NAD convention - but sadly, not the whole thing.
There are yet more videos captioned at DisneyOnBroadway - so check them out! (Don't forget to send them a thank-you note to show your appreciation!
Show of Hands is currently captioning a new set of videos so expect them soon!
As for my memoirs (on deafness, cochlear implants and musical theater), the manuscript is currently complete. The catch? No agent yet. I received 17 rejections thus far - but that's life! Many other works that made it have received anywhere from 10 to 250 rejections so I'm not worried. One agent even told me that it wasn't that I wasn't 'good enough' for him - but rather, he felt that HE wasn't good enough for ME! How's that for irony?
Until then.
