Still Dancing, a play that raises awareness about Parkinson’s  

Raising awareness about Parkinson’s through art

April 11 is observed as World Parkinson’s Day, and Movement Mantra and Third Half Theatre’s play Still Dancing — An Ode to Movement  aims to bring awareness about the neurodegenerative condition. The play was written to inspire hope and resilience among people with Parkinson’s and their families. 

After performances in Dubai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, it will be staged in Delhi on April 11. Through drama and dance, the production — a deeply personal, real-life journey of a person with Parkinson’s— not only raises awareness but also serves as a crucial reminder of the condition.

An estimated 12 million people across the globe live with Parkinson’s, and cases are expected to double within the next two decades. 

Dubai-based classical dancer and founder of Movement Mantra Vonita Singh has been a dedicated advocate of Parkinson’s awareness in West Asia and India for over 12 years.

 “At its core, while Still Dancing highlights Parkinson’s, it is ultimately a story about family — one that feels familiar to us all. It follows their lives, joys, and, of course, their hardships,” says Dubai-based award-winning writer and director Sanjeev Dixit, who is the founder of Third Half Theatre.

The production is based on the real-life story of Vonita’s family — she lost her father to Parkinson’s in 2009 and founded Movement Mantra, a platform that taps into the therapeutic potential of mindful movement. “The play is about a family next door that is swept in a tsunami of events only to find deeper purpose at the other shore. Through dance, drama, laughter and tears, it sensitises the audience to the cardinal mistakes many families and caregivers and be alerted to possible,” adds Vonita.

While the basic script is the same as the one written originally in 2019, director Sanjeev added a pivotal scene during  its India premiere last year — this delves into the emotional upheaval of the family.