Kujo and the ILL-Abilities Dance Crew
So do you know that awkward feeling when you remember that one of your favorite dancers is deaf and that you forgot to include him and his crew on your blog about deaf culture? No? I guess that’s just me. See, I’ve been a fan of Kujo (Jacob “Kujo” Lyons), a well-known b-boy (break dancer) and choreographer for a about six years now. Kujo is completely deaf in one ear and somewhere around 80% deaf in the other. Despite this fact he is a pretty nasty b-boy that has won a number of battles (dance battles) despite not always being able to hear the music. Now, I have learned enough from my exploration of deaf culture to know that deafness should not be considered a disability (more on that later) but I will say that winning a battle without being able to hear the music is pretty sick. As if that wasn’t dope enough, Kujo is also an amazing choreographer and is part of a dance crew called the ILL-Abilities Crew whose mission is to redefine to the idea of disabilities and show people that the only limits that can bet set are the ones you set for yourself. I could spend about three pages singing praises of this guy and his crew but instead I’ll just post a video of one of his battle and of the ILL-Abilities Crew and let you see for yourself.
Note: Kujo is the guy in the white shirt and white shorts in the first video.
Deaf Culture Awareness 