Dapto High hip-hop dancer stars in new Sony speaker marketing campaign

Macy was born profoundly deaf, but is well on the way to becoming a success as a hip-hop dancer – thanks in no small part to her ability to feel the beat.

And now she is getting a chance to show how she does it to a worldwide audience. 

“Dance is like a language to me,” she said.

“It’s like having a conversation with someone. And if I feel the music coming through my feet, I dance better, I feel better, I feel more connected.”

Macy, who is in Year 10 and has been dancing since she was about 8, is now getting the chance to pursue a career in the creative industry she loves.

The 15-year-old has been enlisted to promote a new kind of wireless speaker made by Japanese electronics giant Sony, which carries an especially large bass sound.

“I’ve always loved music since when I was a kid,” she said. “Hip-hop, it looks cool, and the music can change my emotions. It has really strong bass which I can hear.”

She dances with her “crew” called the Illagroovers, and travels regularly to Sydney to participate in hip-hop events, particular dance battles that pit dancers against each other, with the crowd favourite from each match-up continuing to the next round.

She wears a cochlear implant which means she can hear well most of the time, but if the music or background noise is loud she will rely on lipreading – or feeling vibrations.

Sony has dedicated an entire big-budget advertisement to Macy and her unique skills.

Released on Thursday, the online video stars a single dancer, holding the company’s new “extra bass” SRS-XB3 wireless speaker. It’s Macy, with moves she choreographed herself.

The company’s head of video and sound for Australia and New Zealand, Abel Makhraz, said: “it’s been exciting working with Macy and watching her choreograph a routine to a bass-heavy track specifically produced for her.

“She’s an amazingly talented dancer and being able to support her dance career is a great privilege for Sony. “