Bangalore dance group of visually-impaired enthralls Brits

A group of visually-impaired dancersfrom Bangalore, invited to the region by Kalapremi, an organisationdevoted to art and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, havedefied all odds and are busy enthralling audiences in north-eastEngland.

The group, called Articulate, is on a17-day tour to the region and has thrilled students at Greenland JuniorSchool in Stanley in County Durham in their very first performance.

"The children really enjoyed it. Ithink they were a little wary at first, just because they hadn't seenanything like this before, but by the end they were full of it," Schoolteacher Kathryn Graham told the local media.

The event, showcased for the students,aimed at not only introducing the children to the Indian dance form butalso instilling in the young minds, the idea that disabled andable-bodied people can work together in harmony in a variety ofchallenging situations.

The ten highly trained dancers, five ofwhom are visually impaired, learnt the complex choreography by using a"touch and feel" technique, where they touch the hands and feet oftheir teacher to imitate the various postures.

"The dancers just love to dance. Theywould like to show the world that given the chance, able-bodied anddisabled people can work together in true harmony," Mysore Nagaraj,artistic director of Articulate, said.