INDIA: Shiamak Davar Will Get Senior Citizens to Tap their Feet

Shiamak Davar is organising a workshop on World Dance Day, reports Lakshmi B. Ghosh NEW DELHI (The Hindu), April 29, 2006: Their feet have tested the roughest of roads, and their eyes seen the dance of life. They may no longer have the same strength, but their spirit clearly remains high. Working with the firm belief that anyone with feet can dance, Shiamak Davar is now all set to get senior citizens to tap their feet. To celebrate World Dance Day today, HelpAge India in association with Shiamak Davar's Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA), is organising a daylong dance workshop for senior citizens in the Capital. A first of its kind, the workshop is in keeping with HelpAge's motto of active ageing. "Dance is universal, it can be enjoyed by all age groups. At SDIPA dance is not just taught from the `sole' but from the soul," points out Davar. The one-hour workshop will encourage seniors to let their hair down and have a good time. Likely to be a mix of Jazz, Bollywood and popular dance, the content has been tailored by SDIPA instructors to suit the ability and speed of senior citizens. If the reactions of some of the participants are anything to go by, then Davar already has a winner on hand. "At our age one seldom gets the chance to try something new. So I am keen to participate. It will be a good exercise for my limbs and also an occasion to have fun," quips an excited Suprabha Kapoor. A small `step' that should go a long way in ensuring that age does not become a deterrent in the old living their life to the fullest, the workshop will be held at HelpAge Auditorium in Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area. Copyright © 2006 The Hindu.