Half-N-Half was originally called the Bay Area Coda Performers. They began performing in 1994. Originally there were four hearing Coda (Children of Deaf Adults) members: Sherry Hicks, Sheila Jacobs, Pam Johnson and Michael Velez.
The mission then, and now, was to create a body of work that is coda based material; including signing songs for mixed (Deaf, Hearing and Coda) audiences. The goal is to share the gift of ASL that our families, community and culture have instilled in our youth.
The gift of unconditional love is give back to the community in the way of sharing our culture and language, ASL, in performance.
Half-N-Half's first engagement was for the students at California School for the Deaf-Fremont (CSD-F). There was an awards banquet and as the entertainment, the ensemble choreographed several musical selections and presented them in ASL. The crowd went wild, with students jumping onto the stage and joining in with the rhythm and beat. In many ways, these students were able to move better than any of the performers, bringing new dances into the mix.
Half-N-Half was well received and enthusiastically encouraged to build a full repertoire of work. They did.
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HALF-N-HALF
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Since then, Half-N-Half has put together almost a decade of work. They have a vast variety of material, and have enough focused toward children to put together a show geared directly and exclusively toward the younger generation.
Half-N-Half has began to focus on multimedia and making music sign language videos as a new medium for creating art and getting "messages of healing" out as well as pure entertainment. The work we do combines the elements of ASL, storytelling, music and multimedia with movement. The work reflects "coda sensibilities and deaf life" in a 90 minute journey with no intermission.
Since 1996 Michael Velez and Sherry Hicks have been called the dynamic duo and are currently the two members of Half-N-Half. They have traveled widely across North America and internationally.
Their work reflects a new craft that has come to be called "musically inspired ASL storytelling." They create stories in ASL with music as the backdrop and present to audiences vignettes and excerpts of Deaf life and Coda life. They are dynamic on stage and use ASL improvisation. This work is riveting and a feast for the eyes.
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