Saturday, November 2
River Music Experience, 129 North Main Street, Davenport IA
A day-long celebration of deaf culture filled with entertainers, activities, and an evening Redstone Room concert, the November 2 event Experience Deaf QC will showcase the talents of, and opportunities for, those challenged by disparate degrees of hearing loss, with showcase guest Aarron Loggins familiar from performing the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful” at this year's Super Bowl alongside Gladys Knight.
An Illinois native, Loggins didn't allow being hard of hearing to limit him, beginning with his learning American Sign Language at age three. His ability to tell stories with his hands and body signaled the emergence of a great talent, and Loggins went on to perform with such groups as Wild Zappers, National Deaf Dance, and the Gallaudet Dance & Theater Company, and he also founded a deaf step-dance team called Da Jump Back. In the process, the 34-year-old has become a premier entertainer and advocate/artist for the deaf and hard of hearing, becoming the first African American ever to win the title of London's Mister Deaf International (USA) in 2014.
Loggins' acting and dance talents have found him working in a variety of media ranging from movies to television to the stage. His film credits include roles in How to Get Girls, In Good Hands, and The Burlesque Lounge, while his TV résumé boasts roles in Evil Stepmother and For My Man plus appearances in nine music videos. As a theatre actor, Loggins has performed in such Tony-winning works as The Who's Tommy and August Wilson's Fences, plus recently playing himself in the Washington D.C. production Party On: Romeo & Juliet. Loggins' fame grew exponentially, however, with his presence on this past February's Super Bowl LIII, where he appeared alongside Grammy Award winner Gladys Knight and rising-star R&B duo Chloe x Halle.
Prior to Loggins' Redstone Room performance, the RME's Experience Deaf QC Expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 2, with the free event featuring deaf and hard-of-hearing artists and vendors, a children's art contest and activity area, an interpreter workshop, food available for purchase, and more. Aarron Loggins' evening concert, meanwhile, starts at 7 p.m. with admission $12-15, and more information on the day's happenings is available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
