This deaf Taiwanese dancer defied the odds and danced her way to stardom
SINGAPORE -- Since Lin Ching Lan was a little girl, all she'd always wanted was to dance. But because she was born with a severe hearing impairment, she was told time and time again that she would never be a dancer.
Despite being turned away by dance schools, Lin continued to pursue her dream and learnt that although she can't hear music, she could feel it.
"When I was told that I couldn't dance, I felt extremely sad and asked myself, 'Why can't I hear? Why can't I dance? Just because I can't hear, does that mean I can't dance?' but still, I never gave up on my beloved dancing," the Taiwanese dancer told Mashable via email.
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Lin points out that it was thanks to her hearing impairment that she has a heightened sense of touch. And it's with this heightened sense that she was able to feel the vibrations of the music through wooden floors, therefore allowing her to practice dance and perform on stage.
Born deaf, but born to dance
Through years of struggle and arduous training, Lin has gone on to win awards at Taipei's Deaflympic Games, snag the leading role in a Taiwanese film, and start Taiwan's first dance troupe for hearing-impaired dancers.
Today, Lin has the title of "Miss Deaf Asia 2015" under her belt and is also one of the many women who has partnered up with Japanese cosmetics brand SK-II for their #Changedestiny campaign. The campaign seeks to empower women to pursue their dreams in spite of whatever might stand in their way.
Other notable women who are part of this campaign is Academy award-winning actress Cate Blanchett and Singaporean fashion designer Priscilla Ong Shunmugam.
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