Dubai’s ‘Still Dancing’ to make its India Premiere
(MENAFN- Inca Tanvir Advertising) Social enterprise Movement Mantra and independent theatre company Third Half Theatre announce the debut show of their dance-theatre production ‘Still Dancing,’ aimed at raising awareness and igniting conversations about Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The production, which was first staged in the UAE in 2019 on World Parkinson’s Day, then restaged in May 2023, is premiering in Mumbai on the 11th of April, at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, which coincides with World Parkinson's Day followed by a show at the Royal Opera house on the 13th of April. The show, a true story of a Parkinson’s Hero, will also be staged in Ahmedabad on the 19th & 20th of April at the Forum, Club O Seven.
Movement Coach and Founder of Movement Mantra, Dr. Vonita Singh, has been championing the Parkinson’s cause in the Middle East and India for over 10 years. She produced ‘Still Dancing’ in 2019 to give people with PD and their families a message of hope through the real-life story of her father whom she lost to Parkinson’s in 2009.
“It is not enough to talk about Parkinson’s once a year during World Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Particularly alarming is the rise of young onset cases, people as young as 20. It’s time we stepped up on building awareness through something immediate and effective like theatre. It is our hope that Still Dancing will contribute to the cause” elaborated Dr. Singh on her motivation to bring Still Dancing to India.
Award-winning Writer & Director and founder of Third Half Theatre, Sanjeev Dixit, the mastermind behind the theatre production, commented on the play’s journey and why it resonates with audiences, "We had such a beautiful response to the play when we first staged it in Dubai. While it is a play on Parkinson's, at the heart of it, it is still quite simply the story of a family. A family like yours and mine, with the same hopes and dreams. The play follows their lives, their joys and of course, their hardships. And I think it resonates with the audience with that simplicity and sincerity of purpose.”
United by their passion to campaign for this social cause, the play’s stellar cast includes Bhavna Pani, Vivek Raj Tandon, Mona Ambegaonkar, Nakul Bhalla, Amey Mehta, Bhumika Mane, Abhimanyu Gupta and Avenav Mukherjee.
Explaining the role and importance of dance in the production, Dr. Singh said, “People with Parkinson’s Disease are recommended physical activity, mental stimulation and social engagement, and without a doubt, dance an expressive art form provides all three. Thinking and moving like a dancer instinctively applies to most aspects of living with Parkinson’s. Using the brain consciously to guide the body is the basic tool of dance and a person with Parkinson’s needs to do just that when the autonomous commands are compromised. Making mindful movement a mantra is the message we want people to take away.”
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