After contracting meningitis at a young age, London-based Chris Fonseca was rendered completely deaf in both ears. He began dancing after a relative recommended he watch the 1984 film Breakin’, which he soon obsessed over. Influenced by styles such as Electric boogaloo, popping, locking and b-boying, Fonseca taught himself dance, and joined an all-deaf dance crew called ‘Def Motion’ while at university. After graduating, he began teaching a dance class for other deaf people in London.
Now Smirnoff has partnered with Fonseca as part of the latest chapter of their ‘We’re Open’ campaign, promoting dancefloor inclusivity for all, and will be hosting a series of dance workshops in London. They’ll be led by Fonseca, and guests will be able to make use of Subpac technology, which transfers low frequencies directly onto your body via a sort of wearable rucksack Funktion One.
Fonseca has also choreographed a routine for Donae’o’s latest single ‘Mami No Like’, alongside a group of both deaf and hearing dancers.
"It’s very rare for deaf people to talk about music," Fonseca says in a clip filmed by Noisey documenting the making of the music video. He goes on to explain his visceral process of listening to music: by holding on to a speaker and letting the frequencies ripple through his body, from his hand and up his arms until he gets goosebumps. "Then the music takes over and I become a part of it."
The Smirnoff ‘We’re Open’ content can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
