BAFTA Winners’ Dance Routine Makes a Wonderful Statement on Sign Language's Behalf
For their appearance on the UK television show Strictly Come Dancing, Deaf TV star Rose Ayling-Ellis and her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice won the Must-See Moment BAFTA. During their ballroom dance to the band Clean Bandit’s song "Symphony," the music was switched off for a few seconds as the pair danced in silence.
Rose, an actor from the popular British soap opera EastEnders, became Strictly Come Dancing 's first Deaf contestant. She powerfully brought society’s notions about the Deaf community into the limelight through her stellar performance on the show.
BAFTA Presenter Wows Viewers
English singer and television presenter Rochelle Humes gave Rose her BAFTA in the most touching manner by introducing the winner in sign language. Rochelle’s noteworthy action was in sync with the new UK law that acknowledges British Sign Language (BSL) as an official language in England and Wales.
Rose Ayling-Ellis Uses Strictly Come Dancing to Raise Awareness About Deaf Issues.
Ms. Ayling-Ellis stresses that simply having Deaf people in front of the camera is not sufficient. A lot more people need to work behind the camera as writers, producers, and directors.
"We still need to keep going, and keep the pace. We need people behind the scenes because that’s what makes it authentic and real to what Deaf people’s experiences are like." - Rose Ayling-Ellis
See the video below to know more about Rose Ayling-Ellis -- how she provides a role model for Deaf individuals, and how she ushered Deaf inclusion to the forefront of public interest through a number of other modern efforts.
