Dancing to a silent tune

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Dancer Astad Deboo showcases the talents of the hearing-impaired in a radical new show</span><br /><br />Whether it''s dancing with puppets or martial art experts, critics are amazed at his experimental style. Astad Deboo, India''s celebrated modern dancer returns to the Mumbai stage with what he is best known for — the skill to spot talent and create new dance pieces. <br /><br />Astad is showcasing his new composition <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Contraposition</span> at the NCPA with eight trained hearing-impaired performers from the Clarke School for the Deaf, Chennai. The dance piece explores the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">navrasas</span> (the nine human emotions) he says, in a style which is all about exuding confidence in a world of silence. "It is very challenging since these dancers are trained in Bharat Natyam and I have to show them a different vocabulary of dance movements," explains Astad. <br /><br />He is also all set to take this act as part of the cultural programme during the opening of the Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, Australia in January. Incidentally, Astad has had a long association with special children, having collaborated in the past with the ''Sena y Verbo'' Theatre of the Deaf in Mexico, the Theatre of Silence in Hong Kong, and with the Action Players in Kolkata, taking full-length performances across India and other countries. "My understanding of hearing impaired performers has grown. More exhilarating has been the discovery of the pool of talent that exists within this community."</div> </div>