Sun 10 Jun 2007
signed to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner…(well, actually my own “tune”, wink)
Having our own “pledges”, “songs”, and “declarations/manifastos” affirms and supports our vision as People of the Eye…so here’s a draft for your perusal.
Although I have been “out” of vlogging for a long while (due to a BUSY schedule), it is never far from my mind. I am so grateful for this exciting technology… and for DeafRead…pushing the Deaf discourse higher…and challenging our creative powers.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Nice! I love it when Deaf takes the initiative, no matter if hearies claim that we messes up song tune, beat, rhyme or whatever the heck it is! We Deaf have OUR OWN way to sing!! And we will sing along the life journey with our hands raised high!
June 10th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Awesome. Let’s brand it our song!
June 10th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
love it!!
June 10th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Beautifully done, Ella!
Long live ASL!
June 10th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Braaaaaaaaaavo! Ella is baaaaaaaack!
The land of the free and of the
braaaaaaaaave to sign!
June 10th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
you always inspire us.
ily, kira
June 10th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Hello Ella Mae,
Your song is beautiful and meaningful expression in ASL.
It is good to see you again.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Dear Ella
I am happy , your poem words “Energy of ASL” or “Freedom ASL”
I am really proud for you and still DeafMute of World.
If you look my blog : http://deafmusl.blogspot.com/
yours sincerely
Betty
June 10th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Beautiful! I feel you…. 1 to 10 rate… A perfect 10….
Aidan
June 10th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Wow, perfect analogy for saluting ASL, just as we salute the flag, which represents freedom. I love how you changed the anthem to salute us and our own home – identity, wholeness, etc. It doesn’t look like a draft to me.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Ella,
That was Beautiful! Outstanding! Gave me goose bumps! This will certainly become a classic! You have left your awesome and inspiring mark on the world once again! I’m in awe!
~ LaRonda
June 10th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
People of the eye! My Clan! You are eye-poet-heart-expand-joy-power-all! Thanks, Isabella
June 11th, 2007 at 12:26 am
That was pretty cool!
June 11th, 2007 at 1:51 am
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!
June 11th, 2007 at 3:49 am
Hey Ella,
Wow!! What a nice adaptations from Star Spangled Banner!!
I am sure you had put in a couple of hours of thoughts, analysis, and practice which was a challenge, wow! A very nice flow of expression to this as well.
QUESTION: (I watched it 5 or 6 times to get the meaning and feeling from this recital) on the line you signed, (ASL caps) SING OUR LANGUAGE, STILL THERE …
Can you help me or elaborate further with the sign “SING OUR” that part I am not sure I understood it clearly from the adaptation.
Do we express ourselves as oppose to vocal singing? would the sign “EXPRESS” be in place instead? Just thinking further in regards to ASL/Culture aspect.
Keep up the good work you were doing, I enjoy poems as well.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:43 am
WOW! Very beautiful deaf national anthem! Cheers to you, Ella!
June 11th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Beautifully done! Thanks for sharing!
June 11th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Beautiful! Utterly beautiful!
can see some of the star spangled banner there. so this is for american deaf community or thr world?
der sankt
June 11th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Ella Mae Lentz,
Thank you for your wonderful translation on the Star Spangled Banner. Our ASL students and Deaf students are needing your role model for translation between English and ASL. I am proud of your work!
Thank you again,
John Fenicle
June 11th, 2007 at 5:40 am
Hey grrl!
GO FOR IT! I support and share your sentiments. Poetry is music for the soul. Soul, where? Through our eyes and hearts!
Thank you ever so much for thy language as it is both an art and science. Way beautiful!
With gratitude and appeciation, ASL changed my life!
June 11th, 2007 at 5:47 am
I love it!! Beautiful!
June 11th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Wow – got goosebumps all the way down to my toes. Love it!
June 11th, 2007 at 6:40 am
Welcome back! In awe of you, as usual! THANKS
June 11th, 2007 at 7:03 am
Inspirational. I smiled all the way. Keep it up with the creeativity
June 11th, 2007 at 7:32 am
Inspiring. Always like ASL songs better than song interpreting. Passion comes within, not guided by English.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:32 am
Wow! I had tears. Beautifully expressed. It is an interesting adaptation from Scott F. Key’s.
Even though, I have tears, I have to be sober. My feeling is not sure about it as “official” manifesto. It needs to be inspired and created from the scratch, not adapted from another piece.
I’d love to click to view your QuickTime version over and over or seeing you doing this in person. I may end up voting for it.
You know, it has been so long that at our Deaf schools, Gallaudet, even the NTD and so on that we have signed on the stage from English scripts. They’re were brilliant work of adaptation, like Robert Panara’s “Deaf Deaf Deaf World” re-written from the movie version, “Mad Mad Mad World”. Cleveland’s Signstage Theatre adapted it Deaf Snow White. MSSD Theatre adapted it from “West Side Story.” Deaf West Theatre is not interested in Deaf play creator’s work because it won’t go well in the box office. They continue adapting the English version like the recent production of “Sleeping Beauty Wakes” even though they used sidekicks as stage props in one of the scene. But we began to move restless in our seats, as we are ready for the original works from the Deaf souls. We saw the new wave of Deaf Cinema coming, not locally but internationally.
We saw Terrylene’s translation of the national anthem on her DVD that is something. She did real exquisite in ASL. That is why I am thrilled that there is wide numbers of you and emerging Deaf artists can bring in new works thru modern technology as the our pendulum is slowly moving back to ASL.
You are the most beloved role model for what you did especially with your Star Spangled Banner. I painted you in it for Joe Dannis’ DawnSignPress. We just saw your draft here of clever craft and emotionally filled, yet an easy recognized of the composition from Key’s that has translated and frozen into ASL, passing down thru many decades at Gallaudet and Deaf schools around the country. Not quite frozen but you did improve it, a more toward ASL.
Your adaptation for the People of the Eye is clever and mused … tears busting. We salute you!
June 11th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Wow, thanks for your “approval” and “hand waving”. Appreciate them a lot. It is still a draft to me cuz I am not 100% satisfied with it yet. Guess that’s me. Want to respond to a couple of commenters:
FRED: that sign you talked about I had intended it to mean “nevertheless”, “no matter what”. I could see why you thought it meant SING..check out the non-dominant hand, smile. In The Star Spangled Banner, there’s the line…”gave proof …that our flag was still there”…so I figured this sign ANYWAY would fit in there. Would love to check out other options, tho. Any ideas?
DER SANKT: Although the “hearing” song is American, and the the “Deaf” version is in American Sign Language, the theme I believe is universal for People of the Eye, eh?
JOHN FENICLE: I have experimented with quite a few “translations” of The Star Spangled Banner and seen some fantastic translations (i.e. Terrylene’s and CSDF and CSDR students’), this one is not a translation but more of an ADAPTION where the meanings are different but the framework is the same. Not sure if I explained that clearly.
CHUCK BAIRD: this is just a draft anthem, far far far from a manifesto. I agree completely about the need to have an ORIGINAL manifesto which I and few others have been thinking about for a good while…a Deafhood Manifesto, something like that. I did this adaption because it is familiar to many many people thus easier to “figure out” and “fun”. Personally, I much prefer original works in ASL too. Good comments, Chuck.
Everybody else (so far, smile), thanks again for the support! I hope this give you all ideas to create possible Deaf Nation anthems, songs, manifestos, declarations….
June 11th, 2007 at 9:18 am
What a beautiful expression of ASL! The poem is passionate and inspiring.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:32 am
WOW!!! It’s beautiful! I am impressed! It’s certainly put smile in my heart.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Nice work, Ella (hands waving)….
BUT…
It’s a ASL song based on the history of our “hearing” Nation….
Why not revise it to something to do with Deaf history? (i.e. French Sign Language, Clerc, Gallasudet, American School for the Deaf, 1880 Milan, and etc…)
Just a suggestion….
June 11th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I am blown away by your anthem draft, Ella! This is GOING to my Mac’s iTunes video library so I can watch it more often!
June 11th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Ella,
As always, you are my favorite!
In spite of your not being finished with the product, your deaf-centered adaptation of the Star-Spangled Banner is just so beautiful and inspiring.
I know your final product will be as beautiful as this one!
OXO
June 11th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Yeah, I meant to say … as an “official anthem.” Not manifesto, my mistake. I can see you still painting it that you always can change, reshape, eliminate, add back, etc. till you feel fit. Yes it is fun to watch how you switched these like from fort to oralist mouthing, things like that. But again, how you ended it with brave with the goosebumps was really powerful.
-cb-
June 11th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Wow! I couldn’t describe how it touch my heart! I’m speechless…ugh! I mean I’m signless…Smile. Congratulations!
Todd M. Elsner
San Diego, CA
June 11th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Yes… let’s create an official Deaf Nation Anthem… Ella.. can you please let us give you feedbacks and ideas so this one can be made by the team and a long live Deaf Nation Anthem! What do you think, Ella?
June 11th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hooked to your anthem because you kept looking at camera and you sorta of saying “Come and join!” expression. You say words to camera and it made me hooked to your story! BRAVO!
June 11th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Ella,
wow you inspired me a beatiful song expressed
ASL real means!!!
good to see you! I remember I met you years ago in Minnesota where you provided ASL Class!!
hope to see you again next Vlog!!
June 11th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Ella
I second, third, and fourth all the above praises. Truly beautiful. I feel lucky to have known you as a friend for 25 years and to have seen how your poetry has evolved.
I can’t say how much I appreciate your sharing this with everyone out of the goodness of your heart. Your generosity has and will touch many Deaf people.
Thanks!
Hugs
Candace
June 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Darlene Ewan,
Let’s do it, improve, and create others! I will email you and go from there.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Ahhh! I got it, after looking at the dominant hand, yeah, yeah… thanks for clarifying that for me.
Your concept on “nevertheless” was fitting… it was just a little off the side which made me see it that way, and the clothes and hands colors were blending at that point with motion. If you had signed it in middle as “doesn’t-matter” then maybe would have been clear for me, but thanks anyway for making that point.
BRAVO!
June 11th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Now you made me appreciate songs now! I was never fond of songs especially that Star-Spangled Banner at any sports games. Now when I ever stand up for a Star-Spangled Banner song, I will close my eyes and watch you sign!
Bravo!!
June 12th, 2007 at 6:32 am
So glad the flashlight girl’s back!!!
I thought it was BEAUTIFUL!!!
Joey…*gasps*
Oh well…better late than never!
But now we finally have more ASL’ers taking over songs or making new ones!
Yay!!! Good news for deaf music lovers like me!!!
I look forward to the next draft – or the final version of this.
*clicks off flashlight*
June 12th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Joey!
Students in residential schools do love
music in THE DEAF WAY. Rhythm is students’
forte — with full facial expression and body language. Apparently, alumni have
forgotten their pasttimes at their alma
maters. C’est la vie, n’est ce pas?
June 12th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
As usual you do a great job on ASL version. It is your gift to us.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Hi Ella, what a beautiful!!!!!! I really love songs in ASL especailly yours and your songs in “treasure”. even I still share the video of yours with my students at my work in VSDB.. keep this up with your great talent… take care
KH
June 16th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Beautifully Signed!! I loved it so much. This gave me the best goosebump. THis is our first Deaf Nation Anthem.
I hope Deaf people from all walks of life would cherish this.
Judy B
June 17th, 2007 at 8:35 am
beautiful work
i love reading everyone’s comments also
re: CB’s point about originality – as u noted ella, this is an excellent observation
in post colonial theory – folks move through different stages to liberation – early days r often emulating / copying the dominate culture’s ways, language use, and artistic expression (hence sign language theatre) but as folks progress they become more empowered and create new works that represent their own experiences and cultures
the fact that they might borrow a familiar, easily recognizable, and beloved framework does not diminish that the work itself is affirming and original
for example mary thornely’s use of goya’s “third of may, 1808″ painting composition to make her famous “milan, italy 1880″ it is no less powerful, valuable, or cherished due to its familiarity – in fact it might be more so because of its borrowing of the framework but not the content – the context is different but there is a parallel message of war / destruction / devastation and in mary’s a bit of hope
this is the importance of the work u r creating with this Deaf national anthem – u r borrowing something that is familiar and cherished to US people because it shows our young country’s ability to perserve and stand strong
in changing the content to be about the perserverance and value of ASL for Deaf Americans – u have done a great service and also touched on a theme in many disenfranchised groups artistic expression (whether it is Langston Hughes’ poem “I Too Sing America” or Gordon Parks’ photograhp “American Gothic” or Susan Dupor’s painting “Deaf American”
many groups have tried to assert their uniqueness while proclaming their rightful place at the table within American culture.
also some things r so good they r used as an inspiration and a spring board on our road to originality and self-creation and self-governance
the women’s movement modeled their Declarations of Sentiment after the Declaration of Independence. Even Veditz’s orbituary to AG Bell (not a flattering one mind u) is made a bit in the frame work of the D of I
one of the many beauties of this work that u r offering up to us all is that it is not a traditional signed interpretation and not even truly an adaptation – it is clearly inspired by our US national anthem and even has some direct borrowing or referencing but the message and the content is so Deaf/ASL specific it makes us all feel like SIGNING it out
in fact i think ill go back and watch again to copy ur signing as one would do a responsal hymn
again many thanks and big hand waves
peace much
patti
June 17th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Beautiful signs, but a rip off. Why can’t we write our own anthem? Why do we have to use our National Anthem for your adaption? It was written by hearing white male American. It is not going to win the hearts of deaf people from other countries. My 2 cents.
June 20th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
You are perfect Law of Attraction in Deaf America! I love you!
June 20th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Wonderful beautiful songs, Ella!
July 4th, 2007 at 6:56 am
Breathtaking!!!…
January 9th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Wow, I know I’m very late to watch this vlog. Hey Ella, I fall in love this song, and it’s bea-u-u-tif-f-FUL! Superb job!
January 29th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Nice rhythm, whoa, me in tears! Wow, why do I feel so proud?! How true it is! Unfortunately it is not ending. But you make me stronger. Let “Deaf Nation Anthem” becomes an official as I am one of the last survivors in next centuries.
I am in debt to you. Thank you, Ella.
Two thumbs up!
Dora
February 1st, 2008 at 10:09 am
Thanks for sharing
February 1st, 2008 at 11:56 am
C H A M P!!! Beautiful!!!!
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 am
[...] eigen ASL-performance van de The Star Spangled Banner is om kippenvel van te [...]
December 10th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Champ, and beautiful inspiring!!
February 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
i am really inspiring about deaf asl poetry! it is kinda of fun to see it ‘cuz the asl poetry is different more than hearing stuff and gesture stuff!
September 16th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Wow, mind-blowing waves all over the deaf community..long-live ASL!!!
August 7th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
December 19th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
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