Ariel Fung: Performing at the Paralympics homecoming!

Hi everyone, I am Ariel and I am originally from Hong Kong. I am now based in the UK in Wolverhampton and I work as a performing artist and dance teacher. I became Deaf when I got sick with fever at 2 years old. I communicate in International Sign Language, British Sign Language, Hong Kong Sign Language, and American Sign Language.

I first realised I wanted to become a performer back in 2008 when I realised I wanted to show the world that Deaf people can dance. When I was at Deaf school in Hong Kong, I took part in dance competitions against hearing schools and it felt very challenging.

In 2010 I was selected by Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (ADAHK) to be part of a Classical Chinese group touring at QuestFest Festival in Gallaudet in the US, I was the youngest member of the group.

Following that, I co-founded the all-Deaf Hip Hop dance crew called Fun Forest, and we performed at many events, festivals, and on TV, around Hong Kong as well as in Singapore, Thailand and Japan.

One of the major differences between the Deaf communities in Hong Kong and the UK is that the sign language used is very different. HKSL uses one-handed fingerspelling like American Sign Language, so in the UK I had to switch to two-handed fingerspelling, but luckily I already had some practice from my working holiday in Australia, as AUSLAN is similar to BSL.

Growing up in a hearing family there was a communication barrier, however, my family are very proud of my achievements.

Reflecting on my experiences as a professional dancer in Hong Kong, whenever we did live performances we did have interpreters available. However, in the UK I have noticed that the arts, theatre and dance industry is huge and there are a lot more opportunities here, including those for Deaf and disabled artists.

Another example of a difference between working in the UK and Hong Kong – and this really surprised me!- is how in the UK I can get paid for rehearsals and meetings! In Hong Kong this never happened, we had to train hard for hours without pay and we only got paid for the shows.

The styles of dance I work in include Jazz, Classical Chinese, Hip Hop, Street, Breaking and Contemporary. It was at primary school that I learned Jazz, Classical Chinese and basic ballet, and in high school I learned Breaking and Hip Hop dance.

I learned Contemporary dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Since then I have attended numerous dance classes and workshops to learn different styles such as popping, locking, waacking, and Hip Hop. In the UK, I learnt voguing dance in preparation for the Vogue Balls I performed at in Liverpool and Manchester, as well as attending theatre classes.

My inspiration comes from several people.  The Japanese Dancer KYOKA of Rushball Crew inspires me a lot, she is my favourite Hip Hop dancer and I always love her dance styles. I am also inspired by American dancer Kaycee Rice, she is the most amazing contemporary dancer in the world.

Being deaf, I have had both negative and positive experiences in my life. Sometimes it is so hard to hear the lyrics in the music, as well as high pitched music which I find a big challenge to dance to. Also, when working with colleagues who speak or are hearing, I find it very exhausting trying to keep up with lip-reading when there is no interpreter present in the rehearsals.

But the positive things are – I can hear and feel the bass, this is the most important part of the music, especially in upbeat/fast music such as in Hip Hop music. The bass helps me to keep in sync with the dance steps. Also, the music vibrations in live shows is super helpful.

I have so many fond memories and great achievements, that it’s difficult to choose just one from 12 years of professional dancing. I think one of my proudest achievements may be the music video shoot I did for Hercules & Love Affair in Belgium, being the only Deaf dancer among hearing dancers and musicians.

However, I think the Paralympics GB Homecoming show on Channel 4 which recently aired was the biggest stage I’ve ever performed on! I was invited to perform there by Mark Smith of Deaf Men Dancing. My role was to sign sing as well as dance with Deaf Men Dancing. I felt our joint performance was amazing and beautiful.

It was the most surreal experience of my life. It was my first time doing sign song combined with dance on TV. I’m still in shock that I got to do a sign duet with Jamie Cullum whilst he sang and played the piano to a packed Wembley Arena! It was very emotional and I’ll never forget that experience.

Looking back at last year, because of the pandemic I was unable to do any performances in 2020, so I continued to hone my skills at home using several YouTube channels as inspiration. I did create some Hip Hop video tutorials in BSL for Deaf kids, and I am now starting to get more work again with an Research & Development project over the summer, an outdoor show, the Paralympics, and finally back to teaching in schools again.

Looking to the future, I would like to do more contemporary dance performances and continue doing Hip Hop and street dance also. I’d love to do more music videos. It would be my dream to work with contemporary dancer Akram Khan!

If any young budding dancers are reading this my advice to you is to follow your dreams and passions, and do what makes you happy. The Deaf world is small, so express yourself in both the Deaf and hearing worlds. You have a great and unique talent that the big world is waiting to see. Always remember to stay positive and Deaf people can do anything – even dance.

If I can, then you can too 🙂

To find out more about Ariel’s work you can follow her on her social media pages:

Instagram: @aloharielfung

Twitter: @arielfungdancer

Facebook: Ariel Fung