“A single thread in a tapestry, Through its color brightly shine, Can never see its purpose, In the pattern of the grand design ..”
from the song by Brian Stokes Mitchell - Through Heaven's Eyes
I belief our worlds are all entwined, one way or another. And our thoughts and aspirations, our dreams, our fears, our hopes, they are similar in more ways that one.
When I first set foot at the YMCA, and introduced myself, it was difficult. I was a new face and unfamiliar to them. There was that common wall, the distant and suspicious curtain.
Months passed and as we played and trained together, our hearts and our conversations warmed. We questioned, asked, challenged, persuaded, even applied gentle pressure to make them step out and into a common ground where we are all equal.
So, the first thing we decided to drop was language and signing. We had to give them the confidence to see things with a more daring and imaginative mind.
Not to stop and limit themselves just because. They think these things that we talk about is not for them, “we cannot do things like that....” was often their reply.
We helped and tried to understand each other, without the actual sign language but with the use of acting skills to communicate, more like charades!
Along with the laughs, we had a good time and the walls came down fast. Minds opened up and it made us all equal in a simple way. All expectations were put aside, with trust now at hand, thats when the putting together of the story began.
We ask them to share with us their fears and take us inside their minds, their dreams, their joy and their funny perspective of things, the way they take in sorrows as life deals them their cards. I learned a lot from them, their fierce independent spirits, simplicity and their steel determination .
All I can say is that it was a thrilling journey, to see them all unfold and step up and out and tell their stories. All their early “No's became Yes, we can...”
Its a project I would gladly take on again, and I am glad I got the chance to work with all these beautiful, talented and wonderfully creative, natural and free spirited friends from the YMCA, hearing and non hearing alike!
Thank you.
Adel Lina Yap
Adel is trained at SRI NANDHIGESWARAR Academy, as an Indian classical dancer and was an Art Director in the Advertising World for more than 10 years. She has also been a lecturer in a few Art colleges. Her main passion is her outreach programs in which she wishes to expand further by using theatre as the main tool.
