Nyle DiMarco is a Deaf, 27 year old model, actor, and Deaf activist that continues to redefine what the world thinks. Nyle won America’s Next Top Model in 2015, becoming the second male winner and first deaf winner. After America’s Next Top Model, Nyle stared in Dancing with the Stars the following year, and became the first deaf winner.
I didn’t watch Nyle on America’s Next Top Model, but I did follow Nyle each week on Dancing with the Stars. I would love to share every dance he did with you guys (because he’s seriously amazing), but I’ll limit it to my top two favorites.
In the first dance, Nyle and his dance partner, Peta, dance the Paso to "Victorious" by Panic! At The Disco. You can see how well he stays in time and shocks the audience by cutting out the music in the middle while continuing to dance. The entire country was amazed by this dance. The silence gives me chills and is very powerful.
My favorite dance throughout the entire season was the Freestyle dance to "The Sound Of Silence" by Disturbed. (This song and dance actually helped with my idea to my blog title). The lyrics of the song remind Nyle of the oppression the deaf community went through in the past. Nyle wrote a letter to the band, Disturbed, asking permission to use their song by saying, “Help us resurface from our darkness, from the systematic oppression. There is power in Sound of Silence.” The dance is very powerful and full of emotion.
Nyle is someone I look up to and enjoy following on social media sites to see what he is up to next. He continues to be a Deaf activist by starting The Nyle DiMarco Foundation to help make the world a better place for Deaf children and their families. Nyle is proving to the world that you can do anything you set your mind to and being Deaf is not a handicap that limits life. As Nyle says, “Find your ability in your disability.”
Here are Nyle’s social media links if you want to keep up with him too!
