On Saturday, April 19, Ayala’s ASL students held their annual American Sign Language (ASL) Showcase, titled “ASL Wrapped: Core Memories.”
In total, there were five separate emotions that the ASL students transitioned through: happiness, sadness, falling in love, anger, and nostalgia. For each emotion, ASL 3 and 4 Honors students signed four to six songs associated with it, spanning different generations of music.
This concept was thought of by the ASL club committee, combining the individual emotions showcased on “Inside Out” with Spotify Wrapped, helping to create a playlist of songs associated with each emotion.
“Compared to previous years, we didn’t want to do the repeating theme of the decade,” ASL 4 student and show chair Keira Vista (12) said. “We wanted to be different, and many themes were considered, like Night at the Cinema, or Disney, but we decided to do Emotions.”
Act I started with the emotions of happiness with songs like “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson, and “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore, which had beats that were lively, matching the emotion. The transition from happiness to sadness crashed in with songs like “505” by The Arctic Monkeys and “Hopelessly Devoted To You” by Olivia Newton-John.
The emotion of falling in love had students signing songs like “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” by Frankie Vallie and “Linger” by The Cranberries. Students paired up in a light choreography, and their signs were graceful, in tandem with the idea of falling in love.
After a brief intermission, Act II started off strong with the emotion of anger, with songs like “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna and “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, simulating the raw emotions of frustration, then nostalgia with songs like “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls and “Good Riddance” by Green Day.
During each of the emotions, there were also students from ASL 2 signing their ABC story, which was a story told using the letters of the alphabet. These stories were in accordance with each of the emotions, and the audience appreciated the different aspects of ASL and how communicative it was.
This showcase is the basis of everyone’s understanding of what ASL is. ASL and deaf culture are much more than just translating songs into signs and ABC stories. Opening up the showcase to include more uses of ASL was beneficial to help the audience gain a better understanding of its myriad of uses.
“I think it would be cool to open up the show to more forms of ASL literature like poems or number stories,” ASL 4 student and show chair Dania Nasreldeen (12) said. “ASL is such a rich and beautiful language and I think it would make the show more well rounded to showcase more of its uses. Not only that, but it would give the audience a more immersed experience into the realm of deaf culture.”
Behind the scenes, ASL 3 and 4 students worked hard to prepare for the show, starting with the show chair choosing and translating songs into signs, into choreographing and costumes, and into hours of practice. Commitment and effort are aspects that are needed for the show to run smoothly.
“All we want to do is see the program grow and bloom,” Vista said. “It’s all about commitment. If you don’t show up, we can’t give our families and friends, our audience, our all and show them what we can do.”
The 18th annual ASL showcase was a success, garnering a large audience for both shows, from parents, family, and friends coming to support the students in ASL and watch words burst to life.
“ASL looks difficult but really, just knowing a few signs can help you converse with someone who needs it,” ASL 4 student Violet Kowalski (12) said. “It also is very expressive and beautiful and can be an outlet for any kind of emotion you are experiencing.”
