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Super Bowl: Celebrating Rihanna's performance? Then you haven't seen your sign language interpreter

2023-02-14T09:47:29.351Z


It's not just Rihanna who can communicate and dance at the same time: 20-year-old Justina Miles translated the superstar's performance at the Super Bowl into gestures - and combines it with an important message.


Enlarge image

Justina Miles interprets "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the Super Bowl

Photo: Sean Ryan/IPS/Shutterstock/IMAGO

According to US media reports, she is the first black woman from the deaf community to perform at the Super Bowl: 20-year-old Justina Miles translated Rihanna's performance in the halftime show into sign language, inspiring thousands on the Internet.

Even though Miles' performance was not shown in the official TV broadcast but was streamed on other channels such as YouTube, numerous excerpts of her performance are now being shared online.

In the videos, Miles not only signs, but also dances to Rihanna's music.

"Like a choreography," one user wrote on an Instagram post of Miles.

"You did it at the Super Bowl!!" commented hip-hop duo Earthgang.

Actress Viola Davis (»How to Get Away with Murder«) shared a video on Instagram showing Rihanna and Miles performing at the same time.

In an email to CNBC, Miles described the performance as a "great honor."

Miles is from Philadelphia and is studying nursing at Bowie State University in Maryland.

She is not entirely unknown: she not only interprets music at concerts, but also on TikTok – where a video of her signing for Lil' Kim's song "Crush on You" from 1997 went viral in 2020.

According to her information on TikTok, Miles is hard of hearing, so not completely deaf.

Rihanna had made her comeback with her 13-minute appearance at the Super Bowl - she last appeared in 2018.

She sang a medley of her biggest hits, including "Bitch Better Have My Money", "We Found Love", "Umbrella" and "Diamonds".

At the same time, the singer made it public that she is pregnant.

Read more about Rihanna's appearance here.

Miles wants to encourage black deaf people

Rihanna's sign language interpreter made two appearances at this year's Super Bowl: Miles not only interpreted for the megastar, but also for Sheryl Lee Ralph, who sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

The piece is often referred to as the unofficial anthem of African Americans.

At a pre-Super Bowl press conference, Miles said, "The national anthem has never really appealed to me personally, but the black national anthem is really inspiring and encouraging." It's a positive and beautiful song.

Miles went on to say many don't even know this black anthem.

That's why it's not just about sharing the performance with the world, "but also about giving this encouragement to millions of black, deaf people across the country who have never seen anything like it."

In Germany, Laura Schwengber was already in the headlines in 2018, having translated heavy metal into sign language at the Wacken Festival.

Miles and other cast members translated at this year's Super Bowl.

Troy Kotsur translated the national anthem into sign language – Kotsur had won the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2022 for his role in the film »Coda«.

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Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2023-02-14

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