Taylor Swift Eras Tour: Sign language interpreters perform during Madrid show
MADRID - Four sign language interpreters delivered their own Eras Tour show to the deaf community, coinciding with Taylor Swift's live performance in the same arena here in May.
The interpreters not only signed the songs, but performed them - in costumes often as sparkly as the singer's herself.
“It was a great, exciting and brilliant experience in every way,” Anna Greira Parra, 26, said of her Madrid appearance. “My favorite song? There is not one! I loved them all and Paramore was also amazing.”
While Swift and her crew performed to two sold out crowds in the Estadio Santiago Benabéu in Madrid, Spain, Parra and three other women signed to an iPad off to the right side of the stage.
They placed their printed setlist on a lectern for support. Deaf community fans watched from the crowd and online.
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"We know from what they have said to us in the comments there are many deaf people who like Taylor Swift," said Núria Martorell, a director for EN-CANTA-DOS ASSOCIACIÓ.
EN-CANTA-DOS ASSOCIACIÓ is a Barcelona-based organization providing access of music to deaf people through sign language. The organization has performed at sold-out, massive shows for the past five years. From rock band Coldplay to Brazilian singer Toquinho, they typically work with event promoters to learn the setlist ahead of time.
It takes four interpreters to get through the Eras Tour and the dancers-slash-actresses alternate by songs. For example, during the "Lover" era there were three interpreters for the four songs and for "Fearless" there were two. Every song was covered except for the two surprise acoustic tunes Swift performs every night.
"The two secret songs that Taylor sang were not done because they were 'secret,'" said Martorell. "We did not know which ones she was going to sing, which means we could not prepare them in advance."
The videos posted online are mesmerizing to watch and allow the deaf community to experience the show through more than just the vibrations of the music. A 52-second clip of the show in Spain has received more than a million clicks on Instagram.
The biggest challenge is translating the three hour plus repertoire from English oral language to Spanish sign language.
“It is the first time I faced this situation and it was complex since sometimes people's shouts made it difficult to listen,” said Anita Agejas Fernández, 41. "The good thing is to have enough time of the songs to work on them thoroughly and learn them.”
Agejas has two favorite lines: “with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress" from “Fearless” and “a friend to all is a friend to none" from “Cardigan.”
The hope of the organization is to put a signer onstage at these large scale events.
Fans at other Eras Tour shows have shared that they enjoy watching the interpreters as much as they love watching Swift.
“We would have liked to be able to share a little piece of stage to be even more part of her show and for visibility to be complete for the deaf audience,” Griera said.
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