When The Greatest Showman hit theaters, its anthem song, “This is Me,” hit the hearts of viewers.
When Karli Waldrep and Catherine Tandy hit the stage at the Mahomet-Seymour Variety show on Thursday night to perform “This is Me” in American Sign Language (ASL), they moved the crowd.
Waldrep and Tandy became interested in learning ASL during junior high chorus when they found out that it was a possibility to learn the language and accompany the choir as it performed during the annual spring Pops Concert.
With years of learning sign language for chorus, Waldrep approached Tandy in 2018 during their junior year of high school to see if she would be interested in doing a duo performance for the Mahomet-Seymour Variety show in January.
“ASL performed to songs can be super powerful,” Tandy said. “The song that we did last year, ‘Change the World,’ by Derrick Minor was super impactful.”
Both girls were surprised by the reaction they received during and after their performance.
“We made the judges cry,” Tandy said.
“To me, I was going on the stage doing sign,” Waldrep added. “After the show when everyone comes up to me to tell me it was amazing, it didn’t really hit me until then.”
The girls enjoyed seeing their peers pick up on some of the ASL movements and replicate them later that evening as people gathered in the commons.
For Tandy, being able to sign to songs gives her an outlet for her emotion.
“I can’t dance very well,” she said. “I love music, so to be able to have movement to put with the music, all of my energy and emotion from listening to the song goes into that.”
Both girls agreed that this language gives them a way that they did not have before to express themselves.
“I just feel the music and it just comes naturally,” Waldrep said. “Sometimes I’ll put more emphasis on one part of the song if I’m really feeling that part or I’ll back off at another part if it’s not that strong.”
Waldrep added that viewers may notice that the girls sign differently at points, even when they are saying the same thing.
“We each put our own emotion into it, and we each make it our own. At some points during the song, you’ll see that I’m signing something that looks totally different than what Katherine is signing. It’s just our own take on the words that are being played in the music.”
Tandy loves how ASL gives speakers a chance to reflect how they feel through each word.
As Tandy and Waldrep enter into college next fall, they have their sights set on joining an ASL organization during their college years.
At this point, they only know enough sign language to perform the songs they choose, but would like to get more involved in the deaf and hard of hearing community.
To see Tandy and Waldrep’s “This is Me” performance, alongside many other heart-tugging talents, visit Mahomet-Seymour High School on Saturday at 7 p.m. or Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online here.
Saturday and Sunday’s MSHS Variety Show performances have been canceled. The Mahomet Daily will let you know if they are rescheduled.
