(Sivani Chinappan &
Cindy Naidoo Baijoo. Pic by Jade Maskell)
Imagine living in a world where you never hear your mother's
voice, you always have to ask people to face you to speak to you or you ask
people to shout so that you can hear what they have to say. For many, this is a
reality but not something that should be called a disability. To be hearing
impaired is to live in a world of complete or partial silence and one has to
find alternative ways to communicate. Most often sign language fills this void
but Dance is another way to express one’s feelings and thoughts.
Slipped
Through My Fingers is written and directed by Verne Rowin
Munsamy. The show is choreographed by Sivani Chinappan and stars Sivani Chinappan
and Cindy Naidoo Baijoo.
“This is a play about a mother/daughter relationship that
tries to survive discrimination. Not the politics of race, gender or sex that
we are used to but the discrimination against those that are hard of hearing or
those who cannot hear at all. In a world of inequalities, we don't expect to be
loved any less in our homes,” explains Munsamy.
“It looks at the turbulent relations between a mother, who
has forsaken her daughter because of her difference and now, some years later
has returned to try and make amends,” he continues. “She returned to console
her daughter after the tragic death of her husband. As the play unfolds we
learn about the relationship between this mother and daughter and how the past
will help the daughter in the future, to survive and overcome the heartache of
a lost spouse.”
It is a heart wrenching story of love lost and regained
through the power of dance. The show uses classical Indian dance, a form that
is vibrant and expressive in itself, and poetry, to bridge the language barrier
that exist between mother and daughter. Life is what we make of it and this
story teaches us that the heart's desires cannot be denied, when the will is so
strong. It doesn't matter what language we choose to express ourselves through,
our voices should be heard. These dialogues are spoken through Sign Language,
Poetry and Classical Indian Dance.
Slipped
Through My Fingers runs at the Catalina Theatre from March 19 to 29
at 19h00 weekdays and at 14h00 on Saturday and Sundays (no shows Mondays and
Tuesdays). Ticket prices R80 and R100. For bookings contact 031 837 5999 or
Computicket.
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