Meet the profoundly deaf hip hop dancer

Macy Baez was born deaf, yet the teenage hip hop dancer is inspiring others with her bold moves and powerful story.

Wollongong local Macy Daez was diagnosed with hearing loss when she was just a toddler.

It was a shocking moment for her parents, Roxxane and John Baez, yet the pair proactively hunted down a medical solution that would give her infinite possibilities: cochlear implants.

"We had tears and everything but that night we were life 'Bam, action! This is what we need to do, let's get the ball rolling," said Roxxane.

John adds: "It was a six hour operation, it was on Valentine's Day, and every Valentine's Day I say to Macy 'you got the gift of hearing'."

It's a gift that has allowed the 16-year-old to do extraordinary things, carving a unique path for herself as a hip hop dancer.
Hip Hop Macy
Source: The Feed
"Everyone’s different and I’m different," she said.

"When I listen to music, it goes straight through to my cochlear implants.

"If I’m in a club or like a dance club, when I listen to the music I have to listen very closely and pay more attention so I fully get the beats or get the rhythm."

As a kid, she always loved hip hop music according to John who used to play it for her in the car.

"We just always played it around Macy," adds Roxxanne.
"When I listen to music, it goes straight through to my cochlear implants."
John: "When we had the music on, she used to bounce to the music… She felt that beat."


For Macy, the dream is making it big on an international level and performing as a back-up dancer for huge acts like Janet Jackson.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re competing against other people, I just want to be in the finals," she said.

"Nothing less."
Hip hop
Source: The Feed
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2 min read
Published 18 May 2016 7:38pm
Updated 2 February 2017 3:54pm
By Marc Fennell
Source: The Feed

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