East Elmhurst, NY:

Two students from Lexington School for the Deaf, Sophie Ariza (3rd grade) and Alex Guzman (4th grade), were selected to appear in a special ASL version of Kelly Clarkson’s new song, “I Dare You.” The ASL version of the Atlantic Records release was created in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre and filmed in participants’ homes due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Video participants included many famous Deaf actors – Nyle DiMarco (Dancing with the Stars, America’s Next Top Model), Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck, A Quiet Place), Angel Theory (The Walking Dead), Sandra Mae Frank (Spring Awakening) and Rosa Lee Timm (Deaf performance artist). Although Sophie and Alex didn’t get a chance to meet the famous actors in person, they were thrilled to be included among such a stellar video cast. Lexington School for the Deaf received special thanks in the video’s liner notes for the school’s assistance in recruiting students for the project. The video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/LJepKdazPxk.

The ASL version is one of seven releases of the single. Besides English and ASL, Clarkson recorded the song in French, Arabic, Spanish, German and Hebrew. The foreign language versions are sung in a duet format with international recording artists. In interviews for the release of the single, Clarkson revealed that the globally-connecting song had been in the works for over a year. She felt that the song, whose lyrics encourage people to love and support one another, would especially resonate with listeners during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Lexington School for the Deaf, located at 25-26 75th Street, East Elmhurst, is the largest school for the deaf in New York state. The school admits students from throughout all five NYC boroughs and Nassau County. The school serves students from pre-school to high school and includes a special program for infants and toddlers. Although Lexington is currently operating remotely due to the COVID-19 quarantine, information about the school is available on their website (www.lexnyc.org) or by
calling 718-350-3300.