Live Streaming from Toronto: TD Bank Presents: The Defty Awards Gala
Funding
The Canadian Defty Awards promotes and celebrates emerging inter-performative Deaf artists as well as showcasing the works of the award winners. The annual program is run by the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf (CCSD), based in Toronto, ON. TD Bank sponsors the awards. Each year, the awards focus on a different arts practice.
In Spring 2015, the Canadian Youth Defty Awards for Excellence in the Deaf Arts for Signed Music was posted.
Signed Music is an emerging, evolving inter-performance art developed through shared Deaf Community experience. It falls along a continuum with, but is distinct from, dance and sign language poetry.
MCSD presented Manitoba’s Defty Award winners and honourable mentions with certificates acknowledging and congratulating them for their hard work. Refreshments were served, including a special cake for honourees. The students, parents, and MCSD-DAM members "attended" the event, watching the livestream of the Awards from Toronto on a large screen at ACI.
Summer Halcrow, Donnelle Chartrand-Holmstrom, and Jaden Mazur won the Defty for the original piece without lyrics titled “Reinshu Taiko”.
Honourable Mentions for original piece without lyrics: "Yankadi/Macru Djembe" by Summer Halcrow, Ayesha Tasneen, Mohamed Yussuf, Donnelle Chartrand-Holmstrom, and Jaden Mazu.
About Djembe and the MSD
Enthusiastic students from the Manitoba School for the Deaf have been designing and creating their own drums for over 14 years. What started out as a science project—pairing the construction of djembe drums with the study of sound waves and vibrations—became a passionate drumming ensemble which plays regularly. When this group performs, the entire school rocks. The rhythm of their drums embodies a striving for unity, while simultaneously valuing individual creative expression. Drumming knows no boundaries; it is physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Drumming engages and connects, uniting all in the experience.
