Mary Hare is holding a special 12 hour marathon dance event at Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury, involving their students and local dance groups on Saturday 24 April 2010. 

 

You can register to take part in this or you can organise your own sponsored dance event at any time during 2010.  Once you have registered to take part, we will send flyers and sponsor forms for those taking part and we hope to offer branded T- shirts nearer the time, to wear at each sponsored event.

 

 

 

 

 

Using dance to communicate is something open to everyone. If you have an inner rhythm, a sense of musicality, boundless energy and enthusiasm, then you can dance!

Dance at Mary Hare is special - it gives profoundly deaf young people common ground with their hearing peers, helping them develop their confidence and communication skills. Because Mary Hare is an oral school (we teach without the use of signing), pupils have to concentrate intensely all day, lip-reading and listening. A dance lesson, therefore, is a chance to ‘let go’ as well as a way of getting a message across without the need for words. 

 

Some deaf dancers use their listening skills and can pick up enough sound to stay in time, others feel the vibrations through their body (not just through their feet - try standing close to a speaker and you will feel the music in your chest!). Others will count to stay in time. In group dances some follow by watching others, so it becomes very much a shared group experience.

 

 

Young people who are profoundly deaf need specialist support. This applies to all aspects of their life, in order to help them integrate more fully into the hearing world. Last year, we launched the Murray House  Appeal to raise funds towards the £2million needed for new accommodation for our Year 11 pupils. Dance4ADay 2010 will raise money for this appeal and you can help by taking part!