Dancing for a lofty cause

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, AUG. 25. In the evening Dad came into my room and asked: ``Did you make the butterflies?'' and I said: ``Yes.'' And Dad sat next to me and said: ``They are pretty. I want you to know one thing : You are such a special person. Our world is not fit for people like you. Our world cannot understand, neither can I. That is why it is so hard for me. Do you understand.''

I didn't answer. And Dad said: ``You walk as if the earth doesn't belong to you. As if you are afraid to touch it. As if you do not deserve anything. But God, you deserve at least as much as the others, you understand.''

This exchange of conversation between a father and his mentally challenged son is part of a solo performance ``Dancing with Dad'' by Itzick Weingarten, the house-director of Israel's National Theater, Habima, which will be staged in the Capital on Saturday.

The tale is told through the eyes of the boy who recalls and reflects upon his childhood memories through a stream of consciousness. ``Everyone has his or her dance of life and this performance is like speaking to the child within me,'' says Itzick.

``Dancing with Dad'' won the first prize at ``Theatronetto,'' Israel's annual theatre festival of solo performances. ``Most of my plays are enacted through dance sequences. I think the fact that I am a child leads me all the time. We do not understand mentally challenged children but then we do not understand ourselves also,'' Itzick points out.

Earlier, the theatre director from Habima ran a special project about the world of autistic children entitled : ``And then we hugged.'' ``The play was based on a unique project in which 15 actors spent over a year in a sheltered village for autistic children,'' he informs.

In ``Dancing with Dad,'' Itzick explores the painful, courageous and yet sometimes humorous relationship between a father and his mentally challenged son.``Through this play, I am raising serious questions about society. The child in the performance is also a child like me and you,'' he says.

First staged in 1992, ``Dancing with Dad'' has been performed over 800 times all over the world. It won the best play of the year award in Israel and the first prize in the 2000 Belgrade Festival of solo performances. The story of ``Dancing with Dad'' has also come out in the form of a book.

The Israeli Embassy has also scheduled a performance of ``Dancing with Dad'' in Chennai, Goa and Mumbai as well.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Previous : Tourism Dept. to go hi-tech
Next     : Architecture students protest