A group of six people with hearing impairments are an excited lot when they come across a poster for a dance competition. They meet the organiser to find out if they can compete as well. Puzzled, the organiser wonders how the group can dance, given that they can’t hear anything.
This is the plot behind the musical drama titled Rockstars performed by people with real hearing impairments, in a bid to let people know that even deaf people can dance and perform theatre.
The organisation behind Rockstars is the Drama Association of the Deaf (DAD) which was founded by Anju Khemani and Praveen Kumar this summer. While Anju works for social development through various companies, Praveen is an employee at a multi-national company.
“Our objective was to create a platform where the deaf can participate in story telling, perform theatre and learn dance. We also wanted to create a space where they could come together with people who don’t have impairments, interact with them and know about their lives as well,” explains Anju who hails from Hyderabad.
A theatre student from the National School of Drama, Anju isn’t new to the craft and has also been teaching communication for the disabled – making her the perfect person to bring the two together. A long time dream, DAD has been her way of bringing the theatre arts to the deaf. “Praveen knows 18 sign languages. I met him when we were working on a project in Bengaluru. After discussing the idea with him, we decided to start the initiative and came to Hyderabad,” shares Anju. Praveen who comes from Bengaluru, adds that DAD wasn’t just about promoting theatre among the deaf, but was also a way to encourage sign language as a mode of communication.
To prove their point, the musical was performed in sign language instead of mime and were received warmly by their audience which included students from a school for the deaf when they performed on Sunday evening in the city.
“Why should they mime when they have sign language with idioms and syntax to communicate,” questions Anju, emphasizing that it is in fact a better form of communication, especially for the differently-abled.
The duo recruited artists using their personal network. “While some were interested in theatre arts, we explained to others what we are trying to do,” says Praveen who adds that people with hearing impairments volunteer in their work by helping with posters or coming up with ideas for their theatre work.
The themes for the plays are chosen based on the discussion they have, including their idea for Rockstars. Once the plot is ready, then begins the real task. After a lot of effort, Anju and Praveen were able to find a technique which helped their performers dance even though they couldn’t hear the music. “We make them hold balloons in their hands. When the song plays, vibrations of the beats get transmitted through the balloon to which they dance,” explains Anju of the simple logic behind the class act.
Clearly a sight to behold, news of their initiative has already travelled. “A person from Bengaluru came down to Hyderabad only to watch the performance. And we had one new member join DAD; it was the chance to share equal space with regular people that motivated her,” shares Anju.
DAD is open to volunteers. Those interested in signing up, contact 99490 45768.