Deaf-mute Negros man shows appreciation to BTS for using sign language in ‘Permission to Dance’ MV

A 33-year-old deaf-mute man from Negros Occidental expressed his appreciation to the South Korean boy group BTS for incorporating sign language in the choreography of its  new single “Permission to Dance.”

In a trending TikTok video uploaded by user @leevouge20 on Monday, July 12, her brother Richmond P. Alberto can be seen closely watching on their television the music video of the K-pop idols’ new track.

“He is absorbing it very well. This is my brother who is deaf and mute. Please watch until the end,” Xandra Lee P. Alberto, the owner of the TikTok account, captioned her post along with the hashtags #permissiontodance, #bts_official_bighit and #btsarmy.

https://www.tiktok.com/@leevouge20/video/6983549551277870362

One TikTok user, Ember Parpa, who is a deaf rights advocate, noticed Alberto’s video and left a comment about her interpretation of Richmond’s hand gestures.

“He said, ‘They are talking about dance. I like BTS more. It’s good that they included (he signed tagged). They [are] always good in dancing, I observed,” Parpa wrote.

The video, which was noticed by ARMYs, has already earned over 68,500 likes, 1,344 comments and 748 shares on TikTok as of this writing. It was also shared by BTS’ local fan base, ARMY Cavite, on its Facebook account on Monday, July 12.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Alberto, who is currently residing in Makati City, said she just requested her sister Lexlyn P. Alberto to film their brother’s reaction while watching the music video from their house in Negros Occidental.

“He’s a lowkey fan of BTS. As for me, I just started being a fan last March, while my daughter, as well as my niece, has been an ARMY since 2018. The three of us are really diehard fans,” Alberto added.

Alberto also said she could not determine when exactly her brother became a fan of BTS since he often watches the group’s music videos due to the poor internet connection in their province. However, she said Richard loves the group’s songs “Dynamite” and “Butter” as he is fond of dancing.

When further asked what his brother’s reaction was after watching BTS’ new song’s music video, Alberto said: “He is very thankful and he told my mom that the BTS is thoughtful for adding sign language to their choreography in ‘Permission to Dance.’”

For Alberto, she was really a proud ARMY fan because BTS is “not just an idol but a great example to the youth.”

“They tell us that there’s no language barrier when it comes to music. We can all enjoy and understand, that’s why I stan them [so much].”

Of the four siblings in their family, Alberto said that two of them have disabilities. One is her brother Richmond and the other is their youngest sibling adopted by their parents, who went blind in one eye due to an accident.

Meanwhile, Alberto said her brother has been practicing the group’s dance steps. She intends to post another video of Richard’s performance once it is sent to her. Further, she hopes that BTS will get to see her brother’s video, and she won’t mind if the video does not elicit any reaction or comment from the group.

BTS’ ‘Permission to Dance’

The phenomenal septet superstars’ third all-English language track “Permission to Dance” was released last July 9 to celebrate the eighth anniversary of their global fandom known as ARMY, which is an acronym for “Adorable Representative MC for Youth.”

BTS’ Permission to Dance. Photo: Screengrabbed from HYBE LABELS/YouTube

This upbeat and summer bop track of BTS was co-written by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, along with Steve Mac, Johnny McDaid and Jenna Andrews.

Shortly after the release of their music video, BTS has received heartwarming messages not only from their supportive fans but also from the hearing-impaired community. They expressed their appreciation to the band for making their new track accessible to deaf-mute people by incorporating sign language in their dance steps.

Even the World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, thanked BTS on Twitter last July 11 for their thoughtfulness in their latest track.

Thank you, @BTS_twt, for including sign language in your #PermissiontoDance music video.
As 1.5 billion people in the world are affected by hearing loss; sign language can help them to continue enjoying music which can bring joy to life. https://t.co/rG9etJSenR pic.twitter.com/a2rLn1AGkW

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 10, 2021

“Thank you, @BTS_twt, for including sign language in your #PermissiontoDance music video,” Ghebreyesus tweeted, adding, “As 1.5 billion people in the world are affected by hearing loss; sign language can help them to continue enjoying music which can bring joy to life.”

Meanwhile, BTS leader RM had a surprise live broadcast to fans on the V Live platform on Tuesday, July 13. In the episode, he talked about their previously released songs “Butter” and “Permission to Dance,” and shared that they decided not to include rap verses in their latest single as it would not suit the song’s upbeat tempo.

RM revealed that their Billboard chart-topper song “Butter” actually had an incomplete rap section, which he worked on with his fellow rap line members J-Hope and Suga.

Originally, they planned to fuse the other rap verses in “Permission to Dance,” but as soon as the group heard the song prior to its release, they thought that the track already sounds complete even without the rap parts. Alternatively, the rap line skipped on their signature rapping and instead showcased versatility with their breathtaking vocals.

As of this writing, just only five days after its release, the “Permission to Dance” official music video has already amassed over 139 million views and 11 million likes on YouTube.  /ra

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