12-Year-Old Deaf Dancer is Tapping Her Way to the National Theatre of Harlem

Though CiCi Gregory is deaf, she has always been drawn to the beat of the music, and it has made her one of the best dancers in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

The 12-year-old taps, jazzes and moves with such confidence, she's been selected to join the National Theatre of Harlem's summer dance program this June, and has an army of fans and supporters who've raised over $5,000 to fund her trip.

It will be CiCi's first time in New York, and a chance to take her dreams to the next level.

"It's a really great opportunity to learn more about the style of the dance," she tells the Good News blog. "I wanna get better, and I wanna learn more technique and I wanna grow up to be a professional dancer."

CiCi was born three months premature, and as a result of various medical interventions in those first few weeks, she lost hearing in both ears. She has a cochlear implant in one ear, and wears a hearing aid in the other.

Latisha Gregory, CiCi's mother, enrolled CiCi in dance classes early on, and she hasn't stopped moving her feet since.

"I'm one of those parents who's like, 'Let's have a little diversity!' And CiCi says, 'No, I want to dance,'" Latisha says about her daughter's exclusive passion.

For at least 17 hours a week, CiCi practices dance. She's enrolled in ballet, jazz, modern, musical theater and tap classes, and is even part of an experimental new technique where a sound system enables the sound of her tapping to be transmitted to her ears via a chip on her shoes.

"In tap class, I am having a hard time hearing my tap shoes," CiCi explains. "I'm hearing my classmates' tap shoes instead. We went to an audiologist who said we can use a microphone and attach it to my tap shoes so that the sound goes through my implant, and it's wireless."

Over the years, CiCi and her family have overcome her disability through advanced medical technology and being determined that nothing can hinder her from pursuing her dreams. The family has spent a lot on medical bills, as their insurance is limited, thus they are grateful for the help of the people to get CiCi to New York.

"When she got into the program at Harlem, she said, 'I know we can't afford it, but I'm just excited I got accepted,'" Latisha recalls. "I said, 'Okay kid, you have to go simply for that alone.'"

For all the additional money they raise for CiCi's summer campaign, they plan to donate it toward the Moog Center for Deaf Education, which has assisted CiCi along the way, and the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, where she performs.

CiCi says her goal is to be a positive example. "I hope I inspire deaf kids and kids that have disabilities. I hope I can inspire them that they can do anything and grow up and follow their dreams. Even though they may go through hard times, they can find another route up to their dreams."

More of the Good News:
13-Year-Old Refuses to Let His Disability Stop Him from Dancing
Double Amputee is an Olympian, a Dancer and an Inspiration
Little Girl in Wheelchair Wins Dance Competition