GREENBELT, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Thirty-six days, $36,000. That’s a lot of crowdfunding to accomplish by October 27. But for the No Words West Coast Swing Dance Team, embarking on an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is just one small step in a quest that will take them to a place that no one has ever been. You see, some of the 11 members of the No Words dance team are deaf. But that’s not stopping these teachers and students, some deaf, some not, from striving to compete as the first deaf and hearing swing dance team at the United States Open Swing Dance Championships, to be held from November-26-30, 2014 in Burbank, California. Dance is a unique means for the deaf community to imprint its talent on the international stage, and for No Words, it’s the opportunity for a ground-breaking artistic achievement, as the members of No Words will proudly take their place in history among dancers representing cultures from all over the world.

The team wants to dance its way to the top, and they don’t see any reason why they should let deafness stand in their way. Even though dancers Funmi Thorne, Tara Miles, Diane Hillard, Renee Glanville, Fred Beam, Wade Green, Ronnie Bradley and Michel Angu have never done swing dancing, they’re seasoned dancers with Wild Zappers/National Deaf Dance Theater and they’ve entertained crowds both at home and also internationally in Japan, Australia, France and Finland. Joining them in this educational research dance collaboration are hearing members. Stephanie Courtney, is the team lead and administrator. Greg Scott and Lemery Rollins provide leadership in partner dancing and swing choreograpy. Dancer Kendra Zara also provides American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for the group, and dancer Romero Royster is and advanced swing dance leader. Timi Gray, provides documentary video for the education research project. Donations to the campaign will pay for airfare, hotel reservations, meals, event passes, costumes, and team registration fees for the No Words team. For more information on the Indiegogo campaign, please contact team lead and project administrator Stephanie Courtney.

All donations are to be sent to the nonprofit organization, Invisible Hands, Inc. Invisible Hands dedicates its resources to providing education through arts-related workshops that engage deaf and hard-of-hearing performers. The organization also provides services that lead to professional training and eventual employment. In order to do this, Invisible Hands sponsors a variety of fundraising activities that raise money for members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Invisible Hands, Inc. CEO and director Fred Beam, founded Invisible Hands to promote awareness of deaf culture through the art and entertainment media. Beam is a professional actor, dancer, choreographer, director and producer, based in Washington D.C., who believes that there are no boundaries in dancing. For a number of years, his expertise has blazed a trail for artistic expression for the deaf artists and performers that he’s recruited, establishing partnerships with performing arts, visual arts, and media companies. Beam has developed two educational theater programs in over 300 schools within the metro Washington D.C. area. Beam’s advocacy on behalf of the deaf community includes serving on the boards of the D.C. Area Black Deaf Advocate and Quest for Arts, Inc. He is also a member of the National Association of the Deaf and a past president of National Black Deaf Advocate. He has established theater arts leadership training for deaf people of color at Gallaudet University. Since 2003, he has hosted the Black Deaf Expo to provide the African-American deaf community with the opportunity to proudly display their culture.

No Words has its sights on The US Open Swing Dance competition because it’s where the best of the best in swing dance compete for the coveted title of U.S. Open Champion. More competitors participate in this swing competition than in any other swing dancing event in the world, which makes it the most challenging and exciting swing dance competition on the planet.

About No Words
No Words is a dance team that’s made up of 11 students and teachers with the goal of competing as the world’s first deaf and hearing swing dance team at the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships in November 2014. Their sponsoring organization, Invisible Hands (www.invisiblehands.com/about) , is a nonprofit that’s dedicated to promoting cultural awareness of arts and entertainment within the deaf communities and to “breaking the sound barrier” between the hearing and deaf communities.

Stephanie Courtney
Invisible Hands, Inc
410.913.0111
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