On April 10, the House of Wow, an arts venue in Bandra, hosted Dancing in the Dark, an inclusive Latin dance workshop by Stefi Joseph and Jason Arland. Ms Joseph is a school teacher and dance instructor who is part of the Latin Dreamers Dance Project; she also has a visual impairment.
Mr Arland is a dance instructor and make-up artist. It was organised by CraYon Impact, a Mumbai-based social enterprise working on making performing arts inclusive and accessible.
What was an unusual aspect of the workshop was that it was designed not as a mainstream event that would accommodate people with disabilities as a token gesture but as one that would present challenges and opportunities to all participants, with and without obvious impairments. For instance, segments of the workshop required all participants to be blindfolded.
Rohan Sabharwal and Rachana Iyer, co-founders of CraYon Impact, wanted Joseph to lead this workshop because “she never uses her disability as a source of victimhood; she wants her talent as a dancer to speak for itself”. Iyer hit upon the idea of organising this workshop after she attended a conference on accessibility and universal design in Delhi. “I remember going to an after-party at someone’s house, where all the furniture had been shifted, disco lights were put on, and a whole bunch of people on wheelchairs began dancing. I will never forget that,” she said.
“When I teach,” Joseph says, “I get my students to focus on the fact that dance can make you feel confident and sexy,” said Joseph. “Anything can happen in life but you cannot give up on the little joys that make it exciting. Because I am partially visually impaired, harsh lights make things slightly difficult for me, so I dance with softer lights. With a little help, everyone can dance. And when sighted people are blindfolded, they too have an opportunity to learn. They do experience fear, anxiety, and a loss of direction at first. Eventually, they observe how their other senses get heightened, how they can listen and concentrate better.”
For Arland, “Leading an inclusive workshop was a test. It allowed me to know if I am a good leader or not. It has certainly pushed me outside my comfort zone but also strengthened my belief that everyone can dance. We do not have to dance in the exact same way. We are all different, and we are beautiful.”
One of the participants Madhu Singh, a personal assistant to an orthopaedic surgeon, said, “Since I use a wheelchair, I was a bit scared while I was being helped down the stairs. But once the music started playing, and the facilitators took over, I became comfortable. They were warm and friendly, and their personal touch made me feel like I was treated equally.”
Sunita Sancheti, a disability rights activist who volunteers with Abled Disabled All People Together (ADAPT) and other organisations, said, “I thought I might feel lost but I am feeling confident. So what if I use a wheelchair? I do not want to be segregated. I like to enjoy with everyone else.”
“My visual impairment has never stopped me from dancing at jam sessions on university campus,” said Kailash Tandel, a research scholar at the Department of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. “But this is the first time I have come for a formal workshop. Usually, we just move our hands and legs without any rhythm. Now I want to learn how to do it properly, especially because dancing is a lovely way to socialise.”
Film critic Meenakshi Shedde, who works closely with Point of View, an organisation running sexuality education sessions for women with disabilities, was one of the most enthusiastic participants at the workshop. She said, “In India, it is rare to come across visually impaired women who celebrate their body and their sexuality. Our society tends to suppress their feelings and desires. That is why it is wonderful to have Stefi as one of our facilitators. She is so self-assured and beautiful.”
Shedde, who has also directed Looking for Amitabh, a film that revolves around the experiences of visually impaired people who are admirers of actor Amitabh Bachchan, said, “For me, as a sighted person, it was interesting to be guided by a visually impaired person. This kind of role reversal helps you appreciate strengths instead of identifying people by what they cannot do.”
Segments of the workshop required
all participants to
be blindfolded as
a challenge
