Groundbreaking collaboration combines sign language with ballet

In 2017, dancer-choreographer Bailey Vincent of Company360 cold-emailed Michele, pitching an idea for a co-choreographic collaboration combining dance with American Sign Language.

What developed was Follin’ (named after Bailey’s daughter), a boundary-crossing piece with incredible emotional impact. Their hope was to encourage inclusivity within the dance community, and to increase awareness of the needs of people with hearing impairments.

"Deaf culture can be very positive. Instead of having this thing taken away, we gain this beautiful visual language that's so much like dance."—Bailey Vincent

Bailey and Michele performed alongside three BalletNext company dancers in this groundbreaking new work, which premiered at New York Live Arts in March 2018.

Read more about the collaboration in Dance Magazine

Watch OnlyGood TV’s behind-the-scenes story below.

Can’t see the video above? Try this link.