Bad Bunny brings dead fans to dance through sign language in Puerto Rico.
San Juan, Aug 21 (EFE).
Deaf fans danced to Bad Bunny’s beats in Puerto Rico as sign language interpreters turned his lyrics into rhythm and energy on stage, marking a breakthrough in accessibility at the singer’s “No me quiero ir de aquí” residency.
“It has been a wonderful experience, in terms of accessibility, being able to understand what is being said in the music, what vocabulary is being used, and how the signs, their energy, and rhythm go hand in hand with the concert,” Zoé Marie Rodríguez told EFE after attending the show at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.
Rodríguez, who was born in Toa Baja, admitted that she had little exposure to music growing up but fell in love with the experience in April when she attended a concert by the Puerto Rican band Chuwi, known worldwide for collaborating with Bad Bunny on “Weltita,” with a sign language interpreter.
Graduated in psychology and sign language interpretation, Rodríguez explained that deaf people can “feel the vibration of the music” through their bodies and connect it with what interpreters express on stage.
According to Puerto Rico’s Office of the Ombudsman for People with Disabilities, there are nearly 200,000 people with some degree of hearing loss on the island.
Pioneering inclusion in Latin America
“It’s important to be close to the interpreter to really connect with what’s happening on stage,” Rodríguez said, highlighting “Baile Inolvidable” as her favorite performance of the night.
For her, concerts without interpreters feel isolating: “I might feel the vibration, maybe catch a word or two, but I cannot fully connect with the energy the way others do.”
This year, the Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot became the first venue in Latin America to guarantee sign language interpreters for all its events, a model Rodríguez believes should be replicated worldwide.
Bad Bunny joins artists such as Spain’s Rozalén and Puerto Rico’s PJ Sin Suela, who made history by featuring a sign language interpreter in a Tiny Desk concert, in leading the push for accessibility in music.
Beyond the stage
Rodríguez emphasized that inclusion must go beyond concerts.
“I love that access to music is promoted, but we also need it in education, in medical appointments, and in many other aspects of daily life,” she said.
Interpreter José de Jesús Rosado, from National Interpreters, who went viral on social media for his performance at Bad Bunny’s shows, agreed.
“With the same passion that interpreters are included at concerts, we need that same passion in all areas of accessibility,” he told EFE.
Rosado explained that his work involves more than translating word-for-word: “We interpret what the singer wants to project, we adapt the language to the audience’s culture and expressions.”
For each concert, interpreters study the lyrics in detail, learning metaphors and meanings, to provide deaf fans with the closest possible experience to the music itself. EFE
