Sign singing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sign singing or Karaoke signing is singing using sign language. Typically a song is played, and the "singer" expressively performs a sign language version of the lyrics.

Well-known sign singers include the Japanese Tomoko Nakayama, a follower of Nichiren Buddhism, and the bawdy Australian duo Dislabelled. In London in 2003, a series of "Deaf Idol" events were held where deaf participants competed in karaoke singing, dance etc, in a similar format to the TV show Pop Idol. Sign language can be used to express extremely nuanced feeling, and so sign singing is an important creative input for the deaf. Sign singing is featured in the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

YouTube has become a popular medium for amateur and professional sign singers to share their work; see videos under keywords "asl music".