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'Breaking Boundaries' with Astad Deboo

'Breaking Boundaries', a dance performance choreographed by ace contemporary dancer and Padma Shri Astad Deboo and featuring 13 underprivileged children, will be showcased in Mumbai from October 1-3.

The underprivileged children and young adults are part of the non-governmental organisation Salaam Balak Trust, which provided them with financial support, education and vocational training.

All dancers have lived on the streets as children until they were rescued by the SBT. For most of them it is their first tryst with modern, 'non-Bollywood' dancing. But months of rigorous workshops and training sessions with Deboo ensured that the dancers slowly picked up the nuances of synchronisation, balance and movement.

'Breaking Boundaries' premiered in New Delhi in April, and the performance was unveiled in front of an audience comprising diplomats, bureaucrats and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

In fact, the packed auditorium meant that many eager ticket-seekers had to go empty handed. And while the performance garnered rave reviews, Deboo recalls the 'long queue of people waiting for a chance to get in'.

Now Deboo brings this performance, and the enthusiastic dancers, to the National Centre of Performing Arts, Mumbai. This is the first trip to Mumbai for many of the dancers, and even though they are excited about this visit to the 'Mayanagari', they have not had much time for sightseeing, as they rehearse each movement meticulously for Thursday's performance.

Catch 'Breaking Boundaries' at 7 pm at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point between October 1-3. Tickets are available at the venue.

Video: Reuben NV