Deaf Model Amazes on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

On the Season 22 premiere of Dancing With the Stars, the winner of last season’s America’s Next Top Model, Nyle DiMarco, delighted the audience and the judges with his dance routine despite being deaf.

DiMarco was paired with his dance partner, Peta Murgatroyd. Because DiMarco isn’t able to hear the music, she said, “I feel I have to change my way of teaching. I have to tap on his shoulder sometimes. Other times I’m pushing him a little bit to tell him when to go.” She even learned a bit of sign language to better communicate with her celebrity dance partner. DiMarco worried that he’d be dancing out of time, and hoped to show that deaf people can dance.

The two performed their routine to the amazement of the audience and judges. They gave one of the top performances of the night.

Host Tom Bergeron asked DiMarco whether he could hear the music at all or feel the vibrations of the song. DiMarco answered, “I couldn’t. It’s actually Peta — she’s listening to the music, and I just followed her with my eyes.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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