Daniel Durant: Dancing With The Stars
By Isobel Edmonds ('24)
This September, Dancing With The Stars became Disney+’s first-ever live-streaming show. It aired on ABC for its first 30 seasons. This season features a variety of people, one being Deaf actor Daniel Durant. Durant is best known for his roles in the movie CODA (2021) and the show Switched at Birth (2011-17).
Durant and his partner, Britt Stewart started off with a tango to "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce. They received relatively high scores, totaling 27 out of 40 possible points. Although the song may seem like an odd choice for tango to hearing viewers, Durant chose the song himself for a reason. Many people think that Deaf people can’t enjoy music because they can’t hear it, but that is far from the truth. Although they can’t hear the music, they can feel it through the vibrations of the song, which is why Durant picked this song. When talking about why he chose the song, he says, “When I first felt that song at the club, I went right up to the speaker and I felt the bass all through my body.”
Daniel and Britt in their matching green outfits during their tango routine!
Photo courtesy of People
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the third episode. The third night was James Bond-themed, and Durant and Stewart went with a rumba to "The World Is Not Enough." This dance was a lot harder for Durant to learn because of the song’s lack of bass lines and beats for Durant to be able to keep track of the song. Stewart, Durant’s partner, came up with subtle cues for him to follow so that he wouldn’t get lost during the performance.
Gabe celebrating with Daniel and Britt!
Photo courtesy of TV Shows Ace
Durant has an interpreter for the show, Gabriel (Gabe) Gomez, who stands behind the judges’ table after their performances and next to host Alfonso Ribeiro while he announces the scores. Gabe is a CODA (child of deaf adults) and Daniel’s best friend. Along with an interpreter, Stewart is learning sign language herself and is frequently shown using sign throughout the show.
“I think [Stewart’s signing] is pretty good,” said Ms. Interlandi, our district's ASL teacher. “I’m always impressed with her, I think she’s very good at expressing herself [...] and I think that often comes with dancing.”
On top of being good at signing, she also has very good etiquette when Durant is signing to her or just in general. When someone is signing, you should avoid watching their hands, but instead watch their facial expressions, as you would if they were speaking. Stewart does this whenever Durant is speaking and only glances down at Durant’s hands occasionally to understand what he’s signing.
Stewart also uses sign in the fifth episode’s dance, where she and Durant dance contemporary to the song from the climax of CODA, "Both Sides Now." This episode featured dances based on the Stars’ most memorable years. Durant, of course, picked 2019 - the year CODA started filming. The scene in the movie has main character Ruby Rossi auditioning for the Berklee College of Music. She signs the song to her fully Deaf family who is watching the audition. They incorporate sign into the dance and Durant’s interpreter is on the dance floor signing in the background.
Durant’s experience in CODA is mentioned frequently on the show, and in some of the episodes, co-stars Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur are shown in the audience. Matlin was also on Dancing With The Stars and was the first Deaf person to be featured on the show. She and Kotsur play Durant’s on-screen parents. The Deaf community is very tight-knit, which is apparent here with them in the audience.
Along with his on-screen parents in the audience, Durant’s two moms are always shown watching the dances. They are both hearing, but they taught Durant Sign Language as he grew up, which is not very common. Many hearing parents don’t actually teach their deaf children Sign Language or don’t learn Sign Language themselves. In one of the interviews, Ribeiro refers to Durant’s Deafness as a disability, and Durant’s moms are quick to call him out on it, pointing out that being Deaf is not a disability. In the Deaf community, they do not see their deafness as a disability or something that needs to be fixed, but instead just a difference.
Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur
Photo courtesy of HuffPost
Durant is not the first Deaf person to be on Dancing With The Stars, however, his being on the show gives the Deaf community more exposure. He often talks about being Deaf does not affect his performance and it shows that Deaf people can dance and connect with music just like hearing people can. Durant and Stewart are currently in [11/7’s place]. Text “Daniel” to 21523 at 8PM on Monday nights to help boost their team!
Cover photo courtesy of Hollywood Life
Banner photo courtesy of @danielndurant on Instagram