ASL Idol: A night to remember for all

East Meadow High School hosted its first American Sign Language Idol on March 23, and it was big success. Not only did it bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing community, but it also was a night filled with expression, diversity, and emotion.

The talent show hosted 24 acts performing songs from movies, shows, musicals, and artists. Performers ranged from eighth to twelfth graders from schools all over Long Island.

The show started with Commack High School seniors Alina Mirman and Jacqueline Seifert performing “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child. Dressed in 90s aesthetic outfits, the girls reflected the time period of the song. In addition, their facial expressions and classifiers while performing introduced an energy that would remain throughout the talent show.

Other acts followed suit and dressed the part of their songs. Commack High School seniors Gianna Rodriguez and Elaina Phelan dressing like cast members in the television show “Hannah Montana” for their song “The Best of Both Worlds,” and East Meadow High School freshman Giya Shelley, Hadia Haidi, and Brionna Gins dressed in traditional Indian dress for their performance of “Yeh Ishq Hai” from the Indian movie “Jab We Met.”

Shelley, Haidi, and Gins’ performance of “Yeh Ishq Hai” was unique in the fact that they not only translated it from spoken language to American Sign Language, but they also translated it from Hindi to English while performing it in American Sign Language.

“We just wanted to see something different because never really saw anyone doing something different,” Gins said. “It was mostly just American pop, so we wanted to see something Indian.”

They also wanted to make a statement about the need for diversity in these performances.

“We wanted to see representation up there,” Haidi said. “ Last year we performed and there was a little girl, and she was South Asian as well and she went up to me and was like ‘I am so happy to see representation on stage.’

“So this year we decided we wanted to represent every single person of a different culture sitting there thinking, is [ASL Idol] just English songs?”

Another returning member to these kinds of talent shows is East Meadow High School sophomore, Josh Amy, who performed “Out There” from the movie, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He was attracted to the competition as he is an actor and does theatre, in addition to knowing how to sign.

“I’ve been signing since seventh grade, so this was natural for me,” Amy said. “ASL gives me a way to talk without using my voice.”

After the performances, the raffle winners were announced, while the judges tallied up the points to announce the winners. The prizes ranged from handmade ASL sweaters, to $50 gift cards, to garden kits.

The winners of the ASL Idol were Massapequa High School juniors Sarah Briggs and Ava Rosenfeld, who performed a mashup of the songs “You are the Reason” and “A Thousand Years” by Calum Scott and Christina Perri. The runners-up were Commack High School juniors Allie Schuval and Amanda Taveras, who performed the song “Satisfied” from the musical “Hamilton.” Third place winner was Massapequa High School senior Alexandra Davila, who performed “Be Prepared” from the movie “The Lion King.”

East Meadow High School ASL Honor Society member and ASL Idol staff member senior Mia Senetto reflected on the night.

“The way that the performers expressed themselves on another level was beautiful. Also, the way that they signed and the way that they were working together was great. The way the winners, Sarah and Ava, signed with each other and went back and forth with one another was beautiful. The facial expressions and movements were all perfect.”

East Meadow High School plans to host the ASL Idol again next year.