The BTS face-to-face concert held for the first time in two and a half years due to COVID-19, was a more meaningful performance than ever.



On the last day, the entire performance was translated into sign language, so even the deaf audience could fully enjoy the performance from start to finish.



[Ahn Jung-sun/Hearing-impaired 'Army': That friend also enjoys it so much, he was just excited to see BTS in person and slapped me on the shoulder...

.]



Thanks to the sign language interpreter, all the stories and songs on the stage were delivered in sign language.



This sign language interpreter worked diligently to interpret while singing and dancing together again this time as in 2019.



[Kim Min-jae/Performance Sign Language Interpreter: Let’s do it as if we were doing it together.

So the deaf also danced and did that.

Even when other people saw them, they danced.]



Barrier-free, initially meant to remove physical obstacles, such as removing jaws and installing ramps for the disabled, but now it has been extended to mean removing institutional and psychological barriers.



Barrier-free concert halls have been expanded to include subtitle services for the deaf and sign language interpretation, beyond the removal of jaws and the provision of wheelchair seats.




Sign language interpretation for performances performed by two people in one group is a specialized field due to the high level of difficulty.



These days, as the number of sign language interpretation performances increases, various attempts are being made.



Let's take a look at this play. Usually the interpreters on the side of the stage follow the actors like a shadow and interpret.



Interpreting in line with the actors on stage did not distract the audience and increased immersion.



So what about the visually impaired audience?



[Some incident that happened to me caused me a lot of trouble.]



[The incident?

what happened?

Scarpin?

(Skapen stops the chair with his feet)]



[Good job!

(Moliere looks at him)]



Just hearing the sound makes it feel real!



There is another way to enjoy it more realistically. Before the performance, the audience goes up to the stage and directly touches the equipment and props.



This is called a touch tour, and then you put on headphones and listen to the play through audio commentary.



In Korea, touch tours for the visually impaired and dance performances with audio commentary appeared.



[Dance 'Fever' Voice Commentary Yang Eun-hye: When I walk while bouncing my pelvis, a small circle looks like a flower bud.] More than



just enjoying the performance, disabled artists are also actively participating in the creation.



Let's take a moment to appreciate a scene from a musical hero, a sign language performance, and the sophisticated choreography and sign language deliver vivid emotions.



The art group for the deaf who made this video is constantly releasing sign language music videos, but there has also been a barrier-free dance film in which a deaf ballerina dances in sign language, rapping and dancing in sign language.




However, the reality is that there are still many limitations.



The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which was recently awarded in sign language by actress Yoon Yeo-jeong, went to an actual deaf actor who played the role of the deaf.



Due to communication, cost issues and lack of awareness, there are very few stages where people with disabilities and non-disabled people stand together.



Barrier-free performances are meant to allow everyone to enjoy the natural right to enjoy and create culture and art.



Although barrier-free in the Korean performance world started late, more and more performances are providing subtitles, sign language interpretation, and audio commentary, centering on national and public organizations.



The next 20th is Disabled People's Day.



I look forward to the day when barrier-free is no longer special, but becomes a natural and natural everyday thing.



(Video coverage: Jeong Seong-hwa, Cho Chang-hyeon, Hwang In-seok, video editing: Yoon Tae-ho, CG: Uhm So-min, Venue: KOTE, Video provided by: Big Hit Music, Seoul Metropolitan Theater, National Theater Company, Professional Dancer Support Center, Handspeak, Korean Cultural Arts Center for the Disabled ·Twitter@jay_4880)