In this informal rehearsal video, Edward MacLean leads a small group (Speakers B and C) through a practice of the Nirvana song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The session focuses on translating lyrical elements into specific choreography and sign language cues. Edward explains the “word” sign (spelling W‑O‑R‑D) as a left lunge/warrior stance, describes how the chorus “hello, hello…” can be performed as a limbo motion, and details the transition from a warrior stance to a “panther” pose when rising onto the toes. He also addresses practical concerns such as a participant’s toe injury and adjusts foot placement accordingly. Throughout, the participants interject with spontaneous lines, chant “Here we are now,” and comment on the performance, creating a collaborative, improvisational atmosphere. The video captures the iterative nature of rehearsal—slow run‑throughs, on‑the‑fly corrections, and the blending of movement, sign language, and musical timing.
Chapters
Hello, I am Edward. See if I can do this for Jesus. Ed— word. And today, the Smells Like Teen Spirit. We will be continuing The vibes in Smells Like Teen Spirit. We've got verse 1 and 2 and the chorus. I think I'm gonna run it through once pretty slow and then see how we feel. Yeah, I'm unsure how well— well, actually, I gotta check something. Sorry, give me a sec, and I gotta bring the water bottle out. Because this might be interrupting it. Okay, let me fix you guys up a bit. Okay, and there's one more. This guy. Okay, so now we're good. Alright, let me get the water bottle. And yeah, so this is in line with the phone camera.
Alright. Load up on guns. Bring your friends. It's fun to lose and to Rita, she's overworked, self-assured, and all Around a slutty world.
So I wanted to talk about this real quick. So I've been on my words. The word sign is W-O-R-D, W-O-R-D, and both of those hold a left lunge or a left warrior. But with the chorus, when they say, "Hello, hello, hello, hello," and the way the signs are constructed is technically the warrior sign is valid all the way from like here to out here, because all it's asking is for the left knee to be bent, the right knee to be straight, and for your toe and heel to be touching in both feet. So just in the same way where a valid runner could be here or here. And then the warrior doesn't change into the panther until you're up on your toes. So then when I'm going from slutty to word, you know, and the chorus says "hello," I'm taking that as a, like, a limbo, like, how low can you go? And then with Word, you can't really stick the "wo" under my legs, but I can do the "rd." So yeah, so that's why I do that, and that's what I'm doing here. So, "All Around a Slutty Word." With the lights out.
This is dangerous.
Here we are now.
Entertain us. I feel slutty. Enkun Tejas.
Here we are now.
Entertain us. Yeah. Hey.
Yay! So it's verse 1 and chorus 1.
I'm worst at what I do best, and for This gift I feel less. Our—
le—
to— Ru has always been and always Will and kill the end.
With, with the lights out. This is dangerous.
Here we are now.
Entertain us. I feel slutty and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us.
Yeah.
Hey.
Yay!
Yeah, I mean, it's a bit much, this right foot right now. Really, I know you've got that toe injury. Really, I'd like to see you point it in that direction, and then you can— I mean, yeah, you really can't do much more than try to wrap that cheek. This is about the lowest yay I can muster, I suppose.
