ABSTRACT
The dance teacher started from the premise that if deaf children could not hear the music and had no knowledge of the regularity of pulse, or of the variations of rhythm possible in dance, teacher had to help them become aware of the rhythm which is in the body, and from there of the rhythm, dynamics, breath and phrasing which is in every dance movement. People all have a heartbeat and a pulse which can be felt and danced to. People have their own inner rhythm, which is determined by their metabolism and their mood, and which can be varied by the speed of breathing. The idea of dancing in silence is not a new one. In professional companies of deaf and hearing dancers, the hearing dancers are often required to lead the deaf, turning the deaf dancers in effect into second-class citizens. Mile Jacques-Dalcroze was a music teacher of hearing children in Germany and Switzerland.
