Mindy Moore is widely considered a deaf multi-talented lady. The passion of theater has always been in her blood. She departed from high school for Gallaudet University and became drawn into the TV/Media program. While at Gallaudet, she composed scripts and performed in the TV show, Deaf Moonlite Show, and also was involved in several sitcoms. This is when Mindy became spellbound with the film aspect of performing. Mindy passed the experience she had achieved to students at Texas School for the Deaf, where she also works as a Drama/Deaf Studies and Art instructor. She starred in the film “Forget Me Not” and the film “The Wrong Game”, both of which were avid successes.

Mindy has appeared at DeaFestival numerous times and we welcome her back in 2014 as she appears in the Children’s Program and serves as emcee for the Jam Tent.

www.justmindy.com

Myles de Bastion is a User Interaction & Product Designer, Artistic Director, Musician and Creative-altruist who develops technology and art installations that enables sound to be experienced as light and vibration. His work has appeared in the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, Portland Art Museum and on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Show. He has built large scale installations for music festivals and Grammy-award winning jazz artist Esperanza Spalding.

Myles, a British-American, was born profoundly deaf to hearing parents in Vermont. He was raised and schooled in England (UK) graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in computer animation. Age 21 he moved to Brooklyn, NY with the goal of pursuing a career in the arts, and began producing a prolific body of work as a multi-instrumentalist & sound-designer. Performing and touring around the East Coast music scene, he honed his skills as a performer, however with progressively deteriorating hearing he encountered challenges working with his hearing musician peers who made little effort to find solutions to improve communication during collaborations. Born of these frustrations, Myles put his music career on hold, taking a hiatus by returning to England in search of a way forward.

In 2011 Myles was invited by seminal Deaf performer Rosa-Lee Timm to participate at the World’s first Deaf Music Camp, MI, where he and Rosa-Lee worked closely together to develop an innovative Deaf Music & Sound curriculum exploring the relationship between Sign Language, movement, vibration and the interconnected experience of sound made visible. Myles came away inspired by this experience and began teaching himself ASL and drew up designs for a device that would translate sound and audio information into light and vibration. A year later Myles produced the first prototype of this device and began incorporating a multi-sensory approach to his work.

In 2012 Myles moved to Portland OR and founded CymaSpace, a non-profit that makes performing arts more inclusive to the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing where Myles further develops his technological artistic works that translate sound into visual mediums. In 2015 Myles took his concepts into the commercial sector and founded Audiolux Devices, a technology company that now produces professional products featuring the synergy of light and sound.

Myles continues to live in Portland with his partner Kimberly and CODA daughter Zebra.

www.cymaspace.org

Nico DiMarco was born in Queens, New York but he wasn't raised there. He lived in Austin, TX and Frederick, MD. He is third generation Deaf. His current location is in Maryland which he claims is a beautifulstate to live in.

Nico's hobby is to be a DJ for various events. He says he has always loved to "hear" music even though he is Deaf. He is able to hear a little bit, but that doesn't mean that he is able to talk or hear on a phone. He grew up listening to music on the radio since he was about 9 years old. You may wonder how he started with his passion of being a DJ. The reason is because when he went to clubs to dance, he often found that he didn't like their selection of music. He stopped going to clubs and then started his path to becoming a DJ because he felt that he knew what kind of music was best for the Deaf community to enjoy and dance to. He claims that he is able to travel anywhere to be a DJ for the Deaf community.

Sean is a musician on a mission. An accomplished and passionate drummer, rhythm pours out of him, when he breathes, walks, types at his keyboard or hits his drums. Music is in his blood, his cells; it’s just the way he is. He’s also deaf – and out to build a badly needed bridge between the music industry and deaf people everywhere.

Sean grew up in Detroit where his parents, both musicians, filled their home with the sounds of the Motor City: Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger, the Funk Brothers and more. Despite losing his hearing as a baby, Sean soaked up the beats and the vibrations, experiencing great music in his own way.

Inspired by what he calls “The Three B’s” (the Beastie Boys, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan), Sean started out making music videos in his basement and today is producing professional music videos with a focus on the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. He is a voice for not only his generation but deaf culture. He is co-founder of D-PAN, The Deaf Professional Arts Network, a non-profit organization that focuses on translating popular artists' songs into American Sign Language music videos for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.

With his passion for music, Sean has opened the door to musical expression – a world historically considered off limits to people in the deaf community. His dream of music for all has helped to transform the way deaf people perceive music. Through his videos and his outreach to deaf people everywhere – particularly young people eager to feel included in popular culture – music is being presented to them as a beautifulsymphony of thought and expression, available to all. The hearing community, too, is fascinated by his ASL translations of musical hits and is clamoring for more. Since 2008, Forbes has also performed in over 20 cities across the US and has appeared in front of over 15,000 people.

Sean Forbes is living proof that if you have enough passion and dedication, magic happens and dreams come true. “The world is run by those who show up,” he says, “And I’m showing up.”

www.deafandloud.com

Crazy Beats

Are you ready for whacky? Want to get goofy? Want some hilarious rhythm? Then you are ready for the rhythmic music and signs of Crazy Beats! CJ Jones and Bob Hiltermann combine their comedic genius and musical talents to create the high-energy, visually stimulating performance. More about these talented performers, watch their inspiring documentaries, “See what I am Saying,” and “The Heart is the Drum Machine.”

Aarron Loggins is the official Deaf King, an R&B/Pop Artist and American Sign Language Translator whose unique performances reach out to a diverse fan base. Born premature and deaf, his family didn't discover this limitation until he was seen by a specialist at 13 months old. The Illinois native didn't take being hard of hearing as a limitation as he managed to learn American Sign Language by the age of 3. Aarron developed a passion for music as a teenager singing in the church choir. His love for Gospel was the first step in developing an unmatched talent for performing in his own unique style.

During his high school years, Aarron joined the step team and kept his focus on theater and the music industry. This led to his major move to the east coast to attend Gallaudet University, where he could thrive in an environment with a population of driven students who are hard of hearing, just like him.

Deaf King emerged in those years as Aarron joined and performed with several companies such as Wild Zappers, the National Theatre for the Deaf, the Gallaudet Dance Company, and he was a former founder of the deaf step team Da Jump Back. Deaf King became the premier entertainer and advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Aarron has traveled through different cities to perform and provide valuable and inpirational workshops. He is driven by his deep spiritiual faith and tremendous support by his family and fans. Deaf King gives all praise to God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ the Savior for providing him with a gift, which serves as his passion and his success.

Aarron Loggins was the first ever won Mister Deaf International (USA) at London in 2014 during Miss Mister Deaf International.

www.aarronloggins.com

WAWA... A RAPPER WHO HAPPENS TO BE DEAF.

When you go to "Wawa's House", you'll be taken to a whole new level of music through DEAF eyes! Being in the music game for nearly 15 years and shows no sign of slowing down, Wawa's doing what he does best...breaking down barriers, taking on challenges and educating people about deaf musicians in the hearing world. While he's doing that...each day, in every way, moving one step closer to his life's personal goal...to put Deaf recording artists on the mainstream music map! Thus the creation ofa new genre DIP-HOP ( Hip-Hop thru deaf eyes). Nowadays people only see and understand Hip-Hop the hearing way but what about the deaf? Get ready to have your minds unraveled and reprogrammed with mind boggling facts, through music. Wawa's making sure that the Deaf community is getting HEARD!

Oh! Did I forget to mention that he was in Maxwell's latest lyric video, FINGERS CROSSED? Search YOUTUBE and be amazed.

Sho Sum Luv!

www.diphopwawa.com