The group ‘We Are One’ performed Bharatnatyam dance in a wheelchair in Visakhapatnam as a tribute to the COVID workers. They talk about their journey so far
The group ‘We Are One’ performed Bharatnatyam dance in a wheelchair in Visakhapatnam as a tribute to the COVID workers. They talk about their journey so far
Bharatanatyam dancers perform elegant poses, slowly and steadily switching the pose, taking classic steps. The flow was normal in the form of the dance; Except that the dancers were capable of different things. Six boys and three girls who were hearing-impaired in wheelchairs enthralled the audience with a 30-minute show, a tribute to the COVID workers in Visakhapatnam. The performance was a part of the recently concluded Vaishakhi Dance Festival, the 13th All India Dance Festival organized by Delhi-based group ‘We Are One’ (WAO) and Nataraja Sangeet and Dance Academy.
“For us, the wheelchair is a symbol of empowerment. People understand it as a means of transport for the disabled. But we want to show the world that it is our strength and showcase Indian dance forms like Bharatanatyam with a message want inclusivity,” says Hussain, WAO’s founder and a differentiated artist.
Throughout the performance, Hussain and his team reminded the audience that wheels can replace legs and that the only thing they were angry about was being kind to them. His moves were perfected by Hussain and the team’s choreographer Gulshan Kumar.
A group of different dancers perform Bharatanatyam at the recently concluded Vaishakhi Dance Festival organized by Nataraja Sangeet and Dance Academy, at We Are One, Visakhapatnam, Delhi. , photo credit: K Bhaskar Rao
A disabled dancer, Hussain faced many challenges to choose dance as a profession and to fight the stereotypes for using a wheelchair. Working as a freelance dancer for several years, Hussain used to perform in functions in educational institutions. “But we never got the respect and recognition we deserve,” he says. In 2013, she started a dance school called Life Success. But after two years, he had to call it off due to a crisis in his personal life.
Instead of being surrounded by challenges, Hussain pursued his passion for creating an inclusive environment for individuals with other disabilities with WAO in 2016. “India has an abundance of talented people whose potential has not been discovered; Just because they do not conform to the traditional expectation of what an artist should look like because of their disability,” says Hussain. The group today has members ranging in age from six to 65 years of age, all with disabilities, who are being trained in dance and other aspects of dance production.
set up with a team of six differently abled persons; Today the troupe has grown and now has around 95 artists. The group’s choreographer Gulshan also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the most manual stunts in a minute in a wheelchair. Specializing in Bharatanatyam, the WAO troupe is now undergoing training in the Lucknow gharana of Kathak.
A group of different dancers perform Bharatanatyam at the recently concluded Vaishakhi Dance Festival organized by Nataraja Sangeet and Dance Academy, at We Are One, Visakhapatnam, Delhi. , photo credit: K Bhaskar Rao
“Performing on a wheelchair for the past 15 years has made me realize that the view of the world is beautiful even from a wheelchair. Dance is a liberating expression for me and my wheelchair has become my asset. My motto is Work towards providing dignity , inclusion and equality for the differently-abled dancers,” says Hussain.
He said, ‘Any society will progress only when disabled and disabled people join hands together. For this we ensure that every performance of ours has a dancer who is without any disability. This is our way of conveying the message of inclusivity.”