Juiced looks at mental health and awareness

Juiced, a dance theatre musical on mental health and wellness, will be staged at BIC this weekend

“Mental health issues are a part of everyone’s life now; so what does it mean to accept it and move on, rather than wondering, ‘Is something wrong with me and how can I get rid of it?’” says Sahiba Singh, founder of Flux, a community art space based out of Bengaluru.

Sahiba, who ideated and conceptualised Juiced over three months, says it is a dance theatre piece where movement and storytelling come together with live music.

Sahiba says Juiced could help people understand mental health and illnesses in their lives. “The idea behind Juiced is to bring awareness around mental health from a place of lightness and humour, and normalising it. It is not just about acceptance; we have to accept it and then integrate the shadow and the light within us. We can then heal from that place of awareness.”

“I believe that while healing is required at various levels and in different forms, the act of creating art through painting, music, dance or movies independent of directly addressing the trauma, in itself brings about a certain measure of healing.”

She says the piece is called Juiced with respect to the chemicals produced by the human brain — serotonin, dopamine and the like. “These are the juices of our brain and eventually, it all boils down to our biology. The physical aspect of who we are and how we behave emotionally are interconnected.”

Juiced comprises a series of smaller plots which ties into one larger story. In keeping with Sahiba’s penchant for surrealistic backgrounds, Juiced is set in an intergalactic juice cafe where patrons are served juice (read brain hormones) in the form of music. The 15-member troupe includes a bass guitarist, pianist, guitarist, drummer and two singers who will cover popular numbers in the musical.

Talking about her work, Sahiba says, “My focus is on using art as a tool for systemic and personal change. Juiced is an original narrative — I work with an idea and give performers as well as participants the space to improvise. We keep working with the initial outcome to build a more nuanced approach to the topic; it gradually evolves into a part abstract, part dramatised depiction of what we are trying to say.”