South Korean boy band BTS’s utilization of sign language into their July 2021 “Permission to Dance” music video attained worldwide recognition. In particular, the band was applauded for incorporating Korean Sign Language (KSL), International Sign Language (ISL), and American Sign Language (ASL) into their performance. The particular video’s choreography features signs for the words “peace,” “enjoy,” and “dance.”
This video is established in a post-pandemic era, in which the band members are seen dancing in a number of locations including a sunny location, a patio, and a laundromat. The sign language use in “Permission to Dance” occurs by the end of the song, where all of the band members together sing “na, na, na.”
To ensure that the interpretation of “Permission to Dance” was clear, BTS along with their team of choreographers paid extra awareness to the details into their signing. BTS’ entertainment company representative Big Hit Music said, “After choosing keywords and symbolic gestures, we turned that into choreography. And we went through a process of holding many discussions with experts [including Deaf people and sign language interpreters] to make sure the meaning was coming across.”
The experts the band consulted highlighted the importance of such expressions in doing sign language. For instance, the sign for “enjoy” also conveys “welcome.” So, to unambiguously correspond the lyric regarding “enjoy” to their Deaf and Hard-of-hearing fans, the group needed to clearly show happiness on their faces.
Response of Deaf Children Who Watched the Music Video
The YouTube channel Deaf BTS recently posted video clips of children’s reactions to the “Permission to Dance” music video. In earlier times, the channel has released other videos where they have done sign language for various BTS songs. This time around, several Deaf children fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) were shown reacting towards the music video whilst sitting on the floor.
One girl was actually stunned when she observed BTS member J-Hope performing in ASL, and shared a touching reaction. She signed, “I’m stunned. That’s ASL ‘dance!’ They signed ‘dance.’ How’d they do that?” She added, “They signed ‘dance’! Cool. They signed ‘dance’ twice. Just like here in the US. I’m gonna pass out.” The excited girl then pretended to faint by dramatically dropping forward on to the floor.
When the other youngsters also noticed just what the band was doing, they could not believe that BTS had used American Sign Language within their performance. One girl pondered pertaining to when the group members had learned ASL.
The Video’s Good Effects From Utilizing ASL
By utilizing sign language within their choreography the group gave the youngsters and numerous other Deaf or Hard of hearing (D/HoH) sign language individuals world wide a feeling of greater inclusion in mainstream culture. Such considerate acts by celebrities along with other public figures help make members of the D/HoH community feel like they are being heard and seen by the much larger community.
BTS’s use of sign language is additionally raising awareness of the D/HoH culture amongst hearing people. The fans were furthermore greatly astounded by the sign language incorporated into the “Permission to Dance” choreography.. One admirer wrote on Twitter, “You know what’s cool? The motion that they were doing for ‘dance’ is the actual sign for ‘dance’ in American Sign Language.”
Such comments suggest that “Permission to Dance” can help to reduce the preconception regarding the Deaf and Hard of hearing within our culture. They additionally deliver hope to the D/HoH community by showing that hearing people are willing to acknowledge them and their language as equals. In this manner, the music video is an important steppingstone toward a more significant acceptance and inclusion of D/HoH people in mainstream society.